ARCHIVE
1997 BUS DEPARTMENT NEWS
(FROM THE FEDERAL REGISTER)
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration
49 CFR Part 391
[Docket No. FHWA-97-2759]Surface Transportation Board
[STB Finance Docket No. 33428]
Coach USA, Inc., and Leisure Time Tours--Control and Merger
Exemption--Van Nortwick Bros., Inc., The Arrow Line, Inc., and
Trentway-Wagar, Inc.
AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board, DOT.
ACTION: Notice of Filing of Petition for Exemption.
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SUMMARY: Coach USA, Inc. (Coach), a noncarrier that controls 27 motor passenger carriers, and Leisure Time Tours, d/b/a Leisure Lines (Leisure Time), a motor passenger carrier wholly owned by Coach (collectively, petitioners), seek an exemption, under 49 U.S.C. 13541, from the prior approval requirements of 49 U.S.C. 14303(a)(5), to acquire control of Van Nortwick Bros., Inc. (Van Nortwick), a motor passenger carrier, and to merge Van Nortwick into Leisure Time, which will be the surviving entity. Coach also seeks an exemption, under 49 U.S.C. 13541, from the prior approval requirements of 49 U.S.C. 14303(a)(5), to acquire control of The Arrow Line, Inc. (Arrow), and Trentway-Wagar, Inc. (Trentway), motor carriers of passengers. [Further Information (Complete Document)]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration49 CFR Part 571
[Docket No. 90-01; Notice 6]
RIN 2127-AG81Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
School Bus Pedestrian Safety DevicesAGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA), DOT.ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).
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SUMMARY: In response to a petition for rulemaking from Transpec Inc., this document proposes to amend Standard No. 131, School Bus Pedestrian Safety Devices, with respect to the conspicuity requirements for stop signal arms. Specifically, the agency would amend the standard to permit the use of additional light sources on the surface of retroreflective stop signal arms.
II. Petition for Rulemaking
In support of its petition, Transpec cited a study by the University of South Florida showing that a significant percentage of motorists are passing stopped school buses, despite the use of the stop arms currently required by Standard No. 131. In Transpec's view, the amendments it proposed would reduce the incidence of illegal passing by motorists and increase safety for children exiting school buses. Transpec also stated that LEDs on the stop signal arm would not alter the fundamental appearance of the stop arm and would thus not confuse interstate motorists, who might not have encountered LED-equipped stop arms in their home states.
III. Agency's Decision
In proposing to adopt the substance of the amendments sought by Transpec, NHTSA requests comments and test data about the effectiveness of LED-equipped stop signal arms as a means of enhancing stop-arm conspicuity. Because LED light sources are not the only means for achieving an illuminated legend, NHTSA also requests a comment on the use of other light sources, such as miniature incandescent and neon light sources, and their effectiveness.
Given that NHTSA considers the conspicuity of the stop arm to be paramount, the agency seeks comment on what, if any, intensities and test procedures should be required for lamps used on stop arms. In addition, NHTSA notes that the Society of Automotive Engineers standards referenced in FMVSS 131 are not current. Would it be useful to update some or all of these to the latest versions? Would there be any burden associated with making such changes?
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-5856-9]Retrofit/Rebuild Requirements for 1993 and Earlier Model Year Urban Buses; Public Review of a Notification of Intent To Certify Equipment
ACTION: Notice of agency receipt of a notification of intent to certify equipment and initiation of public review and comment period.
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SUMMARY: Nelson Industries, Inc., Nelson Division (Nelson) has submitted to the Agency a notification of intent to certify urban bus retrofit/rebuild equipment pursuant to 40 CFR part 85, subpart O. The notification describes equipment consisting of an oxidation catalyst combined with a noise muffler which replaces the original muffler unit installed on the engine. The equipment is intended for use on all petroleum-fueled Detroit Diesel Corporation (DDC) two-stroke cycle urban bus engines from 1979 through 1993 model year, exclusive of the 1990 model year DDC 6L71TA. In addition, Nelson requests certification of this equipment for use on engines rebuilt using the DDC 6V92TA mechanical unit injector (MUI) and electronic control (DDEC II) engine upgrade kits previously certified by EPA under the retrofit/rebuild program.1 Pursuant to Sec. 85.1407(a)(7), today's Federal Register notice summarizes the notification, announces that the notification is available for public review and comment, and initiates a 45-day period during which comments can be submitted. The Agency will review this notification of intent to certify, as well as any comments it receives, to determine whether the equipment described in the notification of intent to certify should be certified. If certified, the equipment can be used by urban bus operators to reduce the particulate matter of urban bus engines. [Further Information (Complete Document)]
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Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Windshield Defrosting and Defogging Systems; Windshield Wiping and Washing Systems 49 CFR Part 571 - [Docket No. 97-40; Notice 1] ACTION: Termination of rulemaking.SUMMARY: In April 1996, NHTSA set forth alternative proposals for amending the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards on windshield defrosting and defogging systems and on windshield washing and wiping. The proposals (61 FR 15446 and 15449, April 8, 1996) were undertaken as part of NHTSA's efforts to implement the President's Regulatory Reinvention Initiative to eliminate unnecessary Federal Regulations. In this notice, NHTSA terminates rulemaking on both Standards because the comments show that the current regulatory requirements are not imposing needless regulatory burdens. [Further Information (Complete Document)]
SUMMARY: In this document, NHTSA terminates rulemaking to rescind the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard on triangular warning devices intended to be placed on the roadway behind disabled buses and trucks that have a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) greater than 10,000 lbs. Terminating this rulemaking relieves the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) of the necessity for conducting a rulemaking proceeding to adopt its own requirements on triangular warning devices. Further, terminating this rulemaking will give the Department more effective enforcement authority regarding the performance of those devices. This rulemaking (61 FR 29337, June 10, 1996) was initiated as part of the agency's efforts to implement the President's Regulatory Reinvention Initiative. [Further Information (Complete Document)]
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