Rep. Lynch Demands Review of FAA Flight Operations

After several troubling incidents at Logan Airport, U.S. Representative Stephen F. Lynch (MA-08) has requested an urgent review of flight operations with FAA officials and an update on investigations into recent events. Yesterday, the right wing of a United Airlines plane struck the tail of another United Airlines plane, as both were scheduled for depar- ture. One week prior to that incident, a JetBlue plane narrowly escaped a collision with a Learjet aircraft as it was preparing to land. In addition, on Sunday a man attempted to attack a flight attendant and open an emergency exit door on a United Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Boston Logan Airport.

“I am relieved that no one was hurt or injured in all three events, however the escalation of incidents and “close calls” at Logan airport is very troublesome,” said Rep. Lynch. “The FAA is responsible for flight operations and I have already requested a briefing with their officials to get an update on their investigations into how these events occurred and proposed solutions to ensure they do not continue. We must be vigilant and address these issues now to prevent more accidents from happening with potentially far worse outcomes.”

Rep. Lynch was a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in the last Congress when they held a hearing to examine the surge of disruptive behavior on airplanes and its effect on passenger and airline crew safety, airline crew training, and enforcing federal laws. Since January 2021, the United States has experienced a drastic increase in the number of unruly passenger incidents reported by airline crews, many of which resulted in injuries to flight attendants. Although the FAA has issued a record number of civil penalties against disruptive passengers, “air rage” continues to be a serious issue.

Councilors Flynn and Flaherty Hearing on Infrastructure Safety on April 4th

City Council President Ed Flynn and Councilor AtLarge Michael Flaherty refiled a hearing order to discuss the safety of light poles, bridges, and other public infrastructure in the City of Boston. This hearing is now scheduled for Tuesday, April 4th at 2 pm at the Boston City Council Iannella Chamber. Residents are encouraged to participate and testify in person or via videoconference by reaching out to shane.pac@boston. gov. The hearing will be broadcasted live on Xfinity 8/RCN 82/ Fios 964 and streamed at: boston.gov/ city-council-tv.

This hearing was originally filed in September last year, when a pedestrian crossing the Evelyn Moakley Bridge in the South Boston Waterfront was struck and injured by a falling light pole. At the time, the Public Works Department swiftly inspected all city bridges in the area and removed 23 of the light poles that were deemed not completely satisfactory, with two additional poles having already been previously removed. It is critical that the city continues to ensure our city’s public infrastructure is safe and structurally sound, and there are routine inspections and systems in place for maintenance and repair.

“Unfortunately, this incident shed light on our aging infrastructure, light poles, and bridges - especially against the harsh New England weather, sea air and salt water.”

Council President Flynn said.

“Councilor Flaherty and I look forward to receiving an update from our city and state partners on the inspection and audit of all light poles, bridges, and public infrastructure, and any relevant plans to make all necessary repairs in a timely manner. We must work with our bridge engineers and design consultants to prevent an incident like this from happening again.”

Councilor At-Large Flaherty said, “We, as a city, have a responsibil- ity to make sure that we regularly inspect roads, bridges, light poles and street signs as a matter of public safety. We live in New England and our area is subject to harsh weather conditions that tend to deteriorate building materials and fixtures quicker than other places.”

For more information, please contact Council President Flynn’s office at 617635-3203 and Ed.Flynn@Boston.gov.

Local Parking Limited

From Thursday, March 23 through Sunday, March 26, 2023, PAX East will be taking place at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC). This event has a large number of local and regional attendees who are expected to impact traffic in downtown Boston, and especially around the South Boston Waterfront.

Traffic in the area is expected to be heaviest between 8am-5pm, Thursday-Sunday.

Please note that the MBTA has scheduled a shutdown of the Red Line from Harvard to JFK/UMass on Saturday, March 25 and Sunday, March 26, resulting in a large contingent of shuttle buses.

Attendees, as well as local employees working in and around the South Boston Waterfront, are encouraged to allow additional time for their commute as travel across all modes of transportation is expected to be heavy for this event.

Parking in the South Lot of the

BCEC is expected to fill quickly for this event. Additional parking will be offered at off-site lots in the South Boston Waterfront area. Signs will direct attendees to off-site parking. Police details will be in place to help direct traffic and pedestrians.