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Metro-North, Long Island to install in-cab cameras
After they waste money on this, down the road they will want to install PTC and they’ll cry about money not being there. If you want to save someone’s life or prevent accidents, go to PTC, not something to look at AFTER THE FACT.
Mr. Coley, that’s exactly what Positive Train Control is. It’s going to take at least a couple more years to implement.
Meanwhile, what we have is a politically-controlled entity bending to the ignorant reactionary demands of politicians who know nothing of what they’re legislating. The cameras won’t prevent a single death, they’ll just make it easier to assign the blame after the next accident. (Actually, I have a feeling MTA’s management knows exactly what it’s doing here.)
Am I correct, Mr. Streeter, that your parenthetical comment means that the cost will be so high that the politicos will back off. Personall, I agree that the cameras will not prevent an accident that is about to happen, but that they will show which employees go fish, golf or other wise enjoy themselves before coming to work in a less than effective state. Those employees can then be counselled and, if necessary, disciplined.
I my opinion, this is an unreasonable search as prohibited by the constitution. Metro-North and Long Island are part of the government.
Let me preface this by saying that I’m more of a passenger than a hardcore railroad guy that’s into the nuts and bolts and tech stuff.
Without some kind of alarm or buzzer system to wake up an engineer, this may be a waste of money. What may be better is a system that sends off a buzzer if the brakes or the throttle isn’t moved by a certain time. This could work in concert with a program that has the route info installed.
This is great news - if you’re in the business of manufacturing and selling inward-facing cab cameras. Otherwise, it’s a waste of money that could be better spent on something that actually prevents accidents.
Next, we can install in-cab voice recorders to hear what crew members talk about when management isn’t round.
The important thing is we do something - anything - so it looks like real action is being taken.
The cameras are not the answer, all it will do spy on the engineer and cause more harm than good. Money should be invested on PTC system that could save lives and prevent accidents.
For more insight on this issue, I recommend reading the Trains Magazine Blogs of Fred Frailey;
“The Great Camera Caper” and
“More on the Great Camera Caper”
Since senators Schumer (NY) and Blumenthal (CT) were so vocal for inward cameras, perhaps they should also have the
when conducting business. They endanger the public even more than the MetroNorth engineer.
QUOTE>>" ROBERT ROONEY from DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA said:
Since senators Schumer (NY) and Blumenthal (CT) were so vocal for inward cameras, perhaps they should also have the
when conducting business. They endanger the public even more than the MetroNorth engineer."
When a camera was looking at Mr Shummers lap top, and Mr Blumenthals, durring sessions of congress, it was shown they were playing Games, and NOT paying attention… Yes we need safety, but now look at the expense of just watching them all… " nose pick at 13.07 hrs" … yeah… we need virtual speed and safety control, we have the realtime info, just make it work with safety equipment.
Edmond bates, yes a camera may be handy to dicipline a driver for the ungodly crime of.being tired on night shift but how will it help stop the train if the driver became incapacitated? we do not.need another way to lay blame to make do gooders feel better what is.needed is a real productive solution to physically stop these things from.occuring.
Whatever happened to the good old alerter/vigilance control? Dont move the controls, the light flashes, dont respond an alarm rings, still dont respond dump the brake pipe.and cut power all without a camera in sight…
I agree with Mr. Bell from New Hampshire. Unless the railroad devises a scheme to monitor the cameras full time and take action based on input in sufficient time to avoid an anticipated problem, the only purpose the cameras will serve is after-the-fact assignment of blame - not an especially useful approach. If they’re going to train cameras on the work force, they ought to train them on management as well.
The cameras are a huge waste of money. Installing alerters in all the remaining existing equipment not already having them would have been the most cost effective & preventative measure to alleviate the problems that occurred. PTC is a waste also. MTA probably wants the cameras as a tool to up the ante to their already overzealous and excessive progressive discipline process.
Soooo! Does that mean if the people in Grand Central and Jamaica spots an engineer falling asleep, will a pair of hands come out of the camera and wake him up. Or, will a trumpet blair out revelry? No? I don’t think so. Another waste of money! What a shame.
At the very least, it will for sure stop Engineers from texting or talking on the phone. However a few will forget they are there and eventually get busted. But it will NOT “encourage” a tired person to stay alert, it’s just a knee jerk reaction with a positive side effect (see first sentence above)
I can’t believe the unions are prepared to accept such cameras, here in the UK they most certainly would not and any company trying to introduce them would soon find themselves facing an all-out strike. They might well fall foul of the European Convention on Human Rights.
As others have said, these devices are a useless waste of money and again I find it hard to believe the FRA hasn’t made alerters (or vigilance devices as we call them) mandatory in all cabs. They, along with data recorders, are here and in Europe by law and have been for several decades ever since we started introducing one-person crews.
I don’t think anyone either in politics or the industry is suggesting the cameras are watched in “real time”. That is clearly next to impossible, merely as an after the event evidence source that will simply duplicate that provided by other sources which actually provide much more information on how the equipment was being operated and performing than a single camera ever could.
Once again it is a case of the US needing to become less introspective and look elsewhere to see what others are doing in this field. Heretical as it may sound my friends, Uncle Sam’s ways are not always the best ways!
Mike Walker, Marlow, UK
This will not help the sleeping problem… at all. It’s not like an engineer decides to take a nap because he’s tired and thinks no one will see him. This may, however, help the texting problem that is very common now days.
I wonder that it´s alowed to permanently film someone at work?