We the undersigned feel very angered and offended by the sudden and past anti-photography sentiment circulating amongst many transportation agencies and police forces in many major metropolitan areas. We strongly hold the belief that photography in the bus and rail systems as we partake in our daily lives is in no way harmful or disruptive to the safety of any passengers using these services, nor is what we are photographing intended to be used for any purpose even remotely related to terrorism or the like. We hereby ask that there shall be no photography bans in any transit system, but merely safety precautions in place to ensure that persons photographing transportation vehicles are doing so without the intent of causing harm. This petition shall be signed by those who agree with our platform and support us in our quest to end anti-photography sentiment.

Our community is an unincorporated group of people who have found an interest in public transportation and its impact on society. We seek to dispel the rumors people have about transit and its users, and to advocate its use worldwide. The transit fan is a flexible, intelligent, observant individual who pays acute attention to many things that most take for granted. We, the undersigned, are members of this community.

Myth: Photography of trains, buses, and terminals poses a security risk.
False! A photo of a bus or train has no value to anyone wishing to attack them. Everyone knows what a bus looks like already because most of America sees them on a daily basis, if not many, many times a day.

Technology is currently powerful enough to enable any potential terrorist who would actually need to be reminded of what a bus looks like to find photographs almost instantly, regardless of whether or not they were taken by members of the press or even official photographers for an agency. Eliminating our right to take pictures for our own entertainment will not eliminate a terrorist’s ability to cause harm to transit passengers.

Myth: Transit photographers violate our right to privacy.
False! The goal of all transit photographers is to take pictures of transit vehicles and stations. We do not want to take pictures of passengers, and in fact would much rather take pictures without someone standing in front of our subject.

Myth: Creating laws such as banning photography will increase security.
False! If a terrorist really wants to commit an act of atrocity, he or she will find a legal way to get what they want or will do so illegally until they are caught. Banning photography outright will not guarantee that a terrorist will be unable to plan an attack.

A terrorist may also use photographic devices that are harder to notice, such as a cell phone camera. Transit fans do not use covert devices. We have no intention to hide our activities, and cell phone cameras are also not powerful enough to take the high-resolution photographs that transit fans want to see. Check http://www.transitgallery.com or any other transit photography website to see the quality photographs that members of our community take.

Here’s the Truth: Transit photographers can actually contribute to transit security!
-Not many “smart” criminals would knowingly commit crimes with our cameras pointed at them.
-Transit fans and photographers are the informed, alert passengers that make current security strategies work. Passengers are the eyes and ears of a transit system, and a transit fan’s eyes and ears are twice as alert because we know when something is out of place. Just visit http://talk.nycsubway.org or any other transit fan forum, and you will see how we pay close attention to even the smallest changes to the norm. The common tourist or commuter rarely pays close enough attention to the transit system to be of any help in this way because their goal is to get around town -- our goal is to spot the unusual, and our cooperation can be a most valuable asset to any transit system’s security strategy.
=Transit fans, like girls, just want to have fun! Our way of doing this is by taking pictures and sharing our observations and opinions! Please do not restrict or prohibit our ability to do so! We photograph in peace!

Appendices:
1: The Photographer’s Right, a brochure by Bert P. Krages
http://www.krages.com/phoright.htm

Web Links:
SubTalk/BusTalk: http://talk.nycsubway.org

Transit Gallery: http://www.transitgallery.com

NJ Transit Bus Fan’s Page: http://www.davemackey.com/njt/

NA Transit: http://www.natransit.com

Oren’s Transit Page: http://www.orenstransitpage.com

TransiTALK: http://www.transitalk.info

ETS Photo Express: http://www.etspe.ca

Bus Drawings: http://www.busdrawings.com

Bus and Rail Photos: http://www.barp.ca

Cleanairbus Transit Page: http://www.cleanairbus.tk



Further discussion of this petition is facilitated at the Transit NATION Community -- http://transitnation.tecsbrain.org/jumper/fclick.php?fid=D002.

And, a clarification of the last statement: This is an allusion to the popular 1985 dance classic, Girls Just Want to Have Fun. More information, if so desired, is available at the following address: http://www.fortunecity.com/lavendar/atkinson/470.

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