The Chronicle‘s Rad Sallee reports that METRO is now advertising for safety specialists.
The timing is completely coincidental, METRO officials say, and has nothing to do with recent collisions involving vehicles or the blind man. *wink* *wink*
We can only imagine that METRO must be a pretty great place to work. It draws Chronicle editors, after all. And it seems to promote from within, as Sallee reports:
[Former Chronicle editor and METRO PR person Raequel] Roberts said one of the job slots, with the title of rail safety manager, would be filled by a replacement for Reginald Mason, who has been promoted to director of system safety over bus and rail operations.
The other three positions — rail safety specialist, system safety manager and system safety officer — are new.
Qualifications (described online at www.ridemetro.org) are the ability to drive the trains or buses, investigate accidents, evaluate operator performance and recommend changes in policies and procedures.
The pay ranges from $52,000 to $82,000.
Isn’t it heartening to know that the light rail train can suffer over 100 collisions since beginning operation (four of which METRO actually admits were because of driver error), AND the rail safety manager earns himself a promotion to director of system safety? Ah, what opportunities our transit organization offers for those who aspire to great things!
All derision aside, this sounds kind of serious:
Attorney Dan Lundeen, an advocate for pedestrians and cyclists, says guidelines for enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act call for audible and vibrating signals for pedestrians.
People with impaired vision rely on traffic sounds to safely cross a street, but these cues can be compromised by increasingly quiet vehicles and other factors, the guidelines say.
“I think it (audible signals) is something that should be looked at,” said Shelagh Moran, a vice president of Lighthouse of Houston, which aids the blind.
These are not unprecedented in Houston, she said, since there are bell signals at pedestrian crossings on Dallas at Dunlavy and at Shepherd, near the agency’s facility.
“Those are helpful,” she said.
They aren’t just helpful, ma’am. They’re the law. At least according to Attorney Dan Lundeen. And if he’s right, we suspect some attorney in this litigious town will be letting METRO know about it soon enough.
