MEDIA ADVISORY: Joyce Rose to Raise the Stakes on Public Awareness of Transit Safety

WHO:    Joyce Rose, President and CEO of Operation Lifesaver, Inc. and 25-year veteran staff member of the House transportation committee

WHAT:    2013 American Public Transportation Association Rail Conference

WHEN:   June 5, 2013; 8:30 a.m.

WHERE: Marriott Philadelphia Downtown

With increasing reports of injuries and distracted behavior around rail public transit and record-shattering ridership as a backdrop, Operation Lifesaver President and CEO will address attendees of the 2013 Rail Conference, sponsored by the American Public Transportation Association.

Rose was staff director for the House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials and wrote the transit titles of SAFETEA-LU and MAP-21, two historic pieces of federal surface transportation legislation. SAFETEA-LU, signed into law in 2005, was the largest investment in surface transportation in the nation’s history. MAP-21, signed last July, put real teeth into transit safety accountability by establishing a national transit safety oversight role for the Federal Transit Administration, requiring safety standards for transit vehicles, and providing funding and increased accountability for state safety oversight agencies.

Rose will specifically address the challenges of keeping transit riders and members of the general public mindful and safe around rail systems, whether they areintercity or regionalrailway systems(freight rail, Amtrak, and commuter rail), or local rail transit systems (heavy rail, light rail, or streetcar).

About Operation Lifesaver

Operation Lifesaver's mission is to end collisions, deaths and injuries at highway-rail grade crossings and along railroad rights of way. A national network of trained volunteers provides free presentations on rail safety. Learn more at http://www.oli.org; follow OLI on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.