The Soft Terrorism of Tunnel Stoppages

Summary:

The usability of our cities' bridges, tunnels, and subways is compromised when any and all users are granted a veto to shut down the system. Authorities must prevent abuse of the veto and screen perpetrators for potential to cause greater harm to the people and infrastructure.

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Terrorists need not cause fatalities, only anger borne of inconvenience. It is possible that Al Queda has targeted bridges and tunnels in New York and other cities; not to destroy but to create roadblocks.

The Lincoln Tunnel, which connects New Jersey to New York City, has experienced delays the previous two days due to what's been termed "disabled vehicles." Who was the driver of the disabled car? Was the driver fined? It is not known. The media still only refers generally to these matters, under the Traffic segment of their programs. But these incidents might be a big story, marking a change in tactic by the terrorists who want to harm Americans. Certainly, the many thousands of commuters who depend on the Lincoln have been harmed, and will continue to be harmed, by these sudden breakdowns.

A car need not be broken to cause a roadblock. "Disabled" is only one of several explanations for an immobile car. There has to be a rewording of the situation. The media and the authorities are not only guilty of reporting too little; they report assumptions. We would all have a better sense of what is going on if the media and police discovered and reported on discovery. Just the facts, please.

Wrong: (present phrasing): Traffic is delayed 40 minutes in the Lincoln Tunnel due to a disabled vehicle.

More Accurate: Traffic is delayed 40 minutes in the Lincoln Tunnel because a vehicle in the right lane is not moving.

Most Accurate: Traffic is delayed 40 minutes in the Lincoln Tunnel because a vehicle in the right lane is not moving. The driver has cut off the engine and abandoned the vehicle.

The authorities must not jump to conclusions, prematurely exclude possibilities, or conceal specifics. We can not ignore the possibility that some people, for whatever reason, get a kick out of causing havoc with our roadways.

When a given action is neither difficult to execute nor punishable, then an actor, if he desires, will indulge in it repeatedly. The insurance industry calls such situations as causing a "moral hazard" of overuse. The simple action of deserting a car causes inordinate suffering to a city. The Port Authority of New York/New Jersey should investigate who is behind these disabled vehicles, and whether a punishment should be levied that would deter future occurrences. In short, the police must catch the perpetrators and be able to levy fines based on the degree of fault by the driver, and the resulting community inconvenience.

This would not just reduce the frequency of these small traffic disasters, but could catch plotters before they move on to bigger crimes. Car abandonment might be a gateway crime to car exploding.