Heads and tales: Trains, planes and automobiles

Railing at each other: The Railroad Reservation Park could be a grand step forward in adding cultural vitality to the heart of downtown Birmingham. The city, county and federal governments are tossing in more than $7 million of the $10 million needed to make it happen. But first, the city and Friends of the Railroad District must work out which entity will oversee the project. What’s at stake is the plan for green spaces, a lake, retail and dining spots, public art and an amphitheater. Those four blocks are fertile ground for rebirth. So who’s going to run this train?
• Dispute may derail park [Birmingham News]

Driven to distraction: Traffic is like the weather: Everyone talks about it, nobody does anything about it. Meet the “eyes in the sky” who keep tabs on rush-hour jams. Surprisingly, the Birmingham News’ story allows for an allegation of willful negligence of public safety by the government, without seeking a response: “There are kinks. … (Metro Networks) has ended its contract with the Alabama Department of Transportation for use of ALDOT’s public traffic cameras because there weren’t enough cameras to monitor traffic effectively, said Steve West, director of operations for Metro Networks.” He also says ALDOT cameras aren’t being fixed, leaving readers to wonder just how the state is monitoring highways, if at all. It’s only fair to allow someone from ALDOT to answer — but the story has no such response. Tsk tsk.
• Traffic service keeps watch on commuters [Birmingham News]

Death race 2005: And speaking of oversights, a trucking industry magazine’s readers ranked Alabama as having the weakest truck inspections. More than 300 readers responded in the mag’s annual survey. Fortunately, most of us have been able to inspect the trucks up close as they’re about to run us over coming into our lane oh my god ohmygod!!!!!
• Worst roads: Go west [Overdrive magazine]

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