Transit photography updates ...

[dmr]

These links come from a railfan group, and I'm copying them here since this seems to be an occasionally recurring topic ...

http://www.nyclu.org/mta_photo_ban_pr_031606.html

http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/newswire/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002199058

Comments, anybody?

 

[kaiyen]

I am very heartened to hear that the NYCLU has successfully fought back against these threats of arrest. It was one thing for the proposed ban on photography of MTA trains and stations to fall through. It is another for the MTA to be forced to publicly acknowledge that their police have been unjustly harassing photographers.

I've only been harassed a few times in San Francisco, but I've certainly thought a lot about what I would do in such situations. I am glad to see that someone fought back.

allan

 

[Honus]

Thanks for posting this. I posted a thread last month about being stopped by a BART (San Francisco Bay Area Transit) policeman and being told that I needed a permit. After a number of phone calls, I spoke to both the BART Police Patrol Commander and the head of Media and Public Affairs. The Commander told me that it was not illegal to photograph in the BART system (duh). She said that I should get a permit, however. Media and Public Affairs sent me a permit application. It costs $268 to APPLY for a permit. You must also provide proof of insurance.

Needless to say, it is all BS. I will continue to shoot when using the BART system.

Robert

 

[jan normandale]

dmr... you are on the job! Excellent.

 

[dmr]

dmr... you are on the job! Excellent.

Thanks {blush} 🙂

I'm glad that common sense is prevailing here. If a spy wants a photo of something, he or she will get it without posing as a tourist, railfan, or casual photographer.

"Be careful, his bow tie is really a camera ..." 🙂

 

[ch1]

The MTA seems real shcizo about this. I regularly pass through Grand Central Station (as do thousand of folks every day) and seen tons of tourists shooting pictures in the cental hall (most take a picture with or without someone posing) of the famous Information Booth. No one ever hassles them - even though there are police and National Guard troopers all over the place.

Yet they tried to "ban" photos in the subways! Duh!

Oh, and last Friday, on my way up to our weekend house I "stole" a couple of available light shots of the interior of our commuter train car! 😀