January 17th, 2006
In a victory for common sense, NJ Transit allows photography of trains
Apparently, bureaucrats at New Jersey Transit got into their skulls that one of those people taking pictures of trains could be an Al Qaeda operative because they implemented a prior restraint reg, requiring photographers to be licensed and give police 24 hours notice before taking a picture of a train. Now, public outcry has shown them the light. AP reports that the regulation has been rescinded.
Richard Forrest, a New Jersey attorney who takes pictures of trains for a hobby, told The Star-Ledger of Newark for Saturday’s newspapers that he feels transit officials listened to opposing arguments.
"It was unenforceable and made no sense," Forest said of the proposed measure. "There is no connection between terrorism and people taking pictures. All a terrorist has to do is look at something or have a cell phone camera to record what they need to know."
