What is SavannahвЂ™s open container policy? Savannah is one of only a handful of cities that has an open container policy. Have you ever noticed how it is almost a natural, even encouraged, to вЂњtake a travelerвЂќ when bar- or party-hopping? It is a common practice Savannah locals enjoy, but mayВ not fully appreciate until they head out of state. Now alcohol is permitted (and often consumed) in public in open containers. Those days are so far gone, the law basically flipped on its head. But Southern rumrunners took the risk moonshine made its way onto the scene as alcohol went underground until the repealВ of the law by President Franklin Roosevelt. This comes decades before the 18th amendment prohibiting the sale, transportation and consumption of alcohol.

General Oglethorpe, the founder of GeorgiaвЂ™s First City, imposed very strict laws including the banning of alcohol. Southern history canвЂ™t be told without mentioning Prohibition, and Savannah is no exception. While taking in the sights on a trolley or a walking tour, guests will undoubtedly hear of SavannahвЂ™s interesting love affair with alcohol. ManyВ have observed Savannah as a European-inspired town, which is reflectedВ in its architecture, food and culture. Dimino couldnвЂ™t recall an instance where the DPU has publicly criticized the TвЂ™s handling of a safety issue, and suggested the agency should hire independent inspectors to monitor compliance.SavannahвЂ™s open container policy is a unique characteristic of the city. He also said the Department of Public Utilities, which is charged with overseeing the TвЂ™s response to safety issues, needs to step up. вЂњThe TвЂ™s response canвЂ™t be passive and it canвЂ™t be kicking the can down the road.вЂќ вЂњThereвЂ™s been alarm bells regarding safety going off at the T for some time now,вЂќ Dimino said. Bruce is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. At CommonWealth, Bruce helped launch the magazineвЂ™s website and has written about a wide range of issues with a special focus on politics, tax policy, energy, and gambling. He served as the GlobeвЂ™s political editor in 1994 and went on to cover consumer issues for the newspaper. He also reported for the GlobeвЂ™s Spotlight Team, winning a Loeb award in 1992 for coverage of conflicts of interest in the stateвЂ™s pension system. He covered the Massachusetts State House and served as the GlobeвЂ™s State House bureau chief in the late 1980s. Bruce came to CommonWealth from the Boston Globe, where he spent nearly 30 years in a wide variety of positions covering business and politics. He says the big question now is how lawmakers and the T itself will respond.Д«ruce Mohl is the editor of CommonWealth magazine.

Rick Dimino, the president and CEO of the business group A Better City, said the вЂњfiscal cliffвЂќ the T is facing will only get bigger with the FTA directives. вЂњThe general manager reflects what the governor and the governorвЂ™s people want him to reflect,вЂќ Aloisi said, suggesting Poftak may be constrained in what he can publicly say. He said the Legislature and the governor need to step forward quickly with additional funding, even though T General Manager Steve Poftak hasnвЂ™t requested more money. James Aloisi, a TransitMatters board member and former secretary of transportation, said many of the directives will require spending more on operations at a time when the T is already bracing for a future with budget shortfalls now that federal aid is running out. The directive said the T lacks the resources and access to track needed to conduct a вЂњproactive inspection and maintenance program.вЂќ The maintenance directive for example, mentions the T spends $2 billion a year on capital initiatives and only $70 million on maintenance. The FTAвЂ™s directives never address the budget implications of the recommendations, but some of them could increase costs significantly. The fact that the T responded to the FTAвЂ™s directives by saying it would have all employees recertified this week suggests the authority isnвЂ™t paying attention to even the most basic issues. The lapsed certifications raise questions about T managementвЂ™s attention to safety, despite all the claims that safety is the agencyвЂ™s top priority. Overall, 221 Green Line operators (41 percent of the total), 25 inspectors (26 percent), eight supervisors (50 percent), and 12 yard masters (100 percent) were deemed late for annual recertifications, according to the FTA. The problem was most severe on the Green Line, which has had a high number of вЂњ safety events вЂќ lately.

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