From policy and response to system design and operations: Inter-governmental transit security planning in the US

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

2005

Subject Area

land use - planning

Abstract

Abstracts from the Journal of Public Transportation Volume 8, No. 4, 2005 From Policy and Response to System Design and Operations: Inter-Governmental Transit Security Planning in the U.S. Camille N.Y. Fink, Brian D. Taylor, and Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris, UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies Abstract The events of September 11th, 2001, brought the issue of transportation security and terrorism to the forefront of civil society. Transit security is especially challenging because of the nature of transit systems as open and accessible public places and the need to keep these systems running quickly and efficiently; transit officials cannot employ many of the security strategies used in aviation security. This paper examines the recent developments in transit security planning in the U.S. using two sources of data: 1) interviews with officials from federal agencies, a national transit industry organization, and local transit agencies, and 2) a nationwide survey of transit operators. The findings show that transit security remains a major concern for operators who must work to balance security needs with operations and management goals. Interagency coordination has become a crucial element of security planning. In addition, environmental design and public outreach and education—two strategies that received much less attention pre-September 11th—have emerged as much more important in transit security planning.

Rights

Permission to publish the abstract given by the Journal of Public Transportation.

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