Transportation
Miami transit OT draining county budget
Jack Dolan, Larry Lebowitz and Scott Hiaasen of The Miami Herald analyzed local payroll data to find that “transit overtime pay — which is 1.5 times as high as regular hourly rates and cost taxpayers more than $129 million over the last five years — is a long-standing drain on county funds that has persisted…
Read MoreLoopholes put school bus drivers with violations on roads
Brad Branan of the Tucson Citizen used court records to show that Arizona school bus drivers with criminal records or multiple moving violations are escaping state regulatory enforcement and putting children and other motorists at risk. The investigation found that drivers with criminal records or multiple traffic violations are among the most accident prone at…
Read MoreTrains carry dangerous cargo through neighborhoods
Phil Pitchford, Ben Goad, David Danelski, Mark Kawar and projects editor Cathy Armstrong of The (Riverside, Calif.) Press-Enterprise examine the safety issues surrounding trains carrying hazardous cargo as they travel through populated areas. “Every day, trains hauling tons of hazardous chemicals roll past Inland homes, schools, hospitals and businesses.” The newspaper says residents are “largely…
Read MoreBanned drivers flout law in Va.
Bill Burke and David Gulliver of The Virginian-Pilot used local court data to show that " from 2000 to 2004 in Hampton Roads, 42,606 people were convicted of driving on a suspended or revoked license, according to an analysis of court records." More than 4,600 people were found guilty three or more times, and some…
Read MoreCamera system ineffective in reducing accidents
Matthew Benson of the Fort Collins Coloradoan analyzed a decade of accident data to show the ineffectiveness of the camera system at reducing red-light running and preventing collisions. The number of accidents and accident rates, at a certain intersection in Fort Collins, Colo., have steadily increased in the years since the city installed a system…
Read MoreUnlicensed drivers responsible for deadly accidents in Va.
Bill Burke, with contributions from David Gulliver, of The Virginian-Pilot report that with swelling illegal migrant populations in Va., rogue vehicles being driven by unlicensed drivers have been responsible for a string of deadly accidents . "Since 2002, more than 90 people have been injured and 18 killed on the Eastern Shore in accidents involving…
Read MoreMetro officials spend excessively on travel in Mich.
Steve Neavling of The Bay City Times reviewed records to show that the Bay Metropolitan Transportation Authority has spent about $200,000 since 1999 on airfare, lodging, rental cars, valet parking, out-of-town meals and other travel expenses. These expenses came at a time when the agency was forced to reduce the schedules of bus routes and…
Read MoreS.C. port authority operates like a business
Michael R. Shea of The Beaufort (S.C.) Gazette delved into the South Carolina State Ports Authority, the state agency that manages “the fourth-largest waterborne shipping network in the country through marine terminals in Charleston, Georgetown and Port Royal, South Carolina.” The stories show that political contributions, political appointments and no-bid contracts blur the line between…
Read MoreContributors get the contracts in Ohio
James Drew and Mike Wilkinson of The (Toledo) Blade examine the relationships between Ohio politicians and the businesses that do work for the state’s Department of Transportation. “Over the last decade, a Blade investigation shows, those firms have contributed more than $1 million to politicians, political parties, and political action committees. In the last five…
Read MoreMo. tops in alcohol-related boating accidents
Bente Birkland and Catherine Rentz Pernot of the Columbia Missourian used data from the U.S. Coast Guard to determine that “between 2000 and 2004, Missouri led the nation in alcohol-related boating accidents.” Among other findings: “The Lake of the Ozarks topped the list for boating accidents in Missouri, and it is the most dangerous body…
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