July 8, 2005
Transportation safety is a concern of high priority
to the government, the public, and commercial business.
With increased attention on terrorism, the security
and safety of our transportation infrastructure is
an even greater priority, and industry must adapt to
a rapidly changing landscape. For transportation systems
and facilities, the level of security must be cost-effective
and consistent with the threat.
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It is widely recognized that mass transit poses one of the
most vulnerable areas of urban transportation infrastructure.
Events such as the Tokyo Sarin Gas subway attack of March
1995; the Madrid train bombings of March 2004; and yesterday’s
tragic London metro transit system attacks, have resulted
in heightened U.S. efforts to secure its mass transit
systems. We are again reminded of the vulnerabilities
of complex, urban transportation systems.
 Open and readily available transportation for commuters,
students, local residents, tourists, and business travelers
is a key ingredient to a successful and vibrant metropolitan
area. By its very nature, urban transit requires stations
to have many entrances and exits, and allow passengers to
enter the transit systems with backpacks, briefcases, and
suitcases. The sheer number of people that can be found in
a terminal or station at one time and the debilitating effect
of crippling the system makes mass transit systems attractive
targets for terrorists. Even small attacks or accidents can
undermine public trust and confidence in the safety and security
of such systems.
Representative measures of efforts being made across the
United States involve a layered approach to enhancing the
safety and security of its mass transit systems. Some of
the elements of this approach include:
- the increased presence of law enforcement to deter
potential terrorists and to possibly identify threats,
as well as to provide additional first response capabilities
should an event occur
- the selected deployment of sensors
and other detection devices to deter terrorists and to
quickly identify the presence of various chemical, biological,
radiological, nuclear, or explosive materials in order
to minimize the consequences of an attack
- the application
of facial recognition and other screening technologies
in order to identify suspect individuals
- training for
employees and the traveling public to increase awareness
of suspicious individuals and packages and the need to
promptly report such incidents
- daily sharing of threat
information and best practices for protective measures
across different mass transit systems
- development of emergency
response and evacuation plans to assist in rapid evacuations
and control of any situations that occur
- development of
recovery plans to allow safe operations to resume as
quickly as possible after a shutdown (with or without an
actual attack)
- selective closures of entrances and exits
where the service benefit is low and the security concerns
are high
- greater separation of passenger areas from those
that are open to the public at large
- use of badges and
uniforms to more readily identify employees and those
that are supposed to be in restricted areas
- greater cooperation
and interaction with local, state, and federal law enforcement
and intelligence agencies to ensure that critical information
is shared
While no one measure alone will ensure the security of these
systems, collectively these measures can improve our safety
and security while still allowing us to operate in a free
society.
Read
the full paper on the U.S. Approach to Mass Transit Security
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