thesis on safety in construction

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Nyc dot enhances pedestrian safety at more than 300 locations leading into the heart of its construction season.

Agency Ahead of Pace to ‘Daylight’ at Least 1,000 Locations by the End of This Year’s Construction Season, Improving Visibility by Removing Obstructions Near Intersections

As New York City Public School Students Go Back to School, NYC DOT Showcases the Many Locations Near Schools

NEW YORK – New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez and Deputy Mayor of Operations Meera Joshi today announced the agency has improved visibility for pedestrians at more than 300 locations through a tool known as ‘daylighting.’ Daylighting enhances safety, by removing visibility-blocking obstructions, such as parked vehicles near intersections, so drivers more easily see pedestrians and other road users at these critical junctures. The agency is ahead of pace to complete this work by the end of this year’s construction season this fall and meet Mayor Eric Adams’s goal to add daylighting to 1,000 locations in 2024. The agency has already completed 300 locations, with the remaining 700 in various stages of development ranging from near completion to site finalization. Officials made the announcement Tuesday at Audubon Avenue and West 169th Street next to P.S. 128 and P.S. 513 in Washington Heights, two of 127 locations near schools where nearby daylighting has been installed ahead of the start of the school year. The daylighting at Audubon Avenue and West 169th Street is part of NYC DOT’s street redesign project from West 168th Street to West 170th Street. With seven schools within a five-minute walk of the project, the new design will reduce speeding, improve visibility, and help protect thousands of school children as they make their way to and from the classroom during the new school year.

Intersections pose a unique safety challenge in New York City. Crashes at intersections typically comprise 51 percent of all fatalities and 68 percent of all injuries in a year. For pedestrians, the dangers are more pronounced: 59 percent of pedestrian fatalities and 77 percent of pedestrian traffic injuries occur at intersections.

“As students return to classrooms, we want to remind everyone to be careful when crossing intersections. Daylighting enhances safety for pedestrians by reducing drivers’ blind spots and giving everyone a better view of the intersection,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez . “This first wave of locations is only the beginning, and we look forward to improving visibility for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers alike at even more intersections across the city.”

“Safety is not only critical inside the classroom, but also as students move about their communities and travel to and from school,” said Schools Chancellor David C. Banks . “I’m grateful to the Department of Transportation for prioritizing this important initiative for the well-being of our kids, and all New Yorkers.”

Locations that have Received Daylighting

A total of 314 locations were daylighted as of August 2024. Of these locations, 33 are in the Bronx, 45 are in Brooklyn, one is on the Brooklyn/Queens border, 36 are in Manhattan, 153 are in Queens, and 46 are on Staten Island. Nearly half of the locations were hardened with physical infrastructure like bike corrals, granite blocks, or turn calming using rubber speed bumps. The initial list of locations that have received daylighting is available on our website . Locations were selected based on a variety of factors, including crash data, cycling and micro-mobility demand, equity, and study testing conditions.

NYC DOT’s construction period falls between mid-April and mid-November, with much of the work happening in the fall. Work is weather dependent, and the agency is ahead of pace to meet or exceed the committed target.

Audubon Avenue School Safety Improvements Improved Visibility at Audubon Avenue (West 168 Street to West 170 Street)

NYC DOT added sidewalk extensions to 10 corners of Audubon Avenue, from West 168 Street to West 170 Street through painted sidewalk extensions that are reinforced with bicycle parking and concrete and granite blocks. The redesign adds new pedestrian space, shortens the time it takes the cross the street, and naturally slows turning drivers to improve safety for everyone on the corridor. The agency plans to continue this work to for additional blocks on Audubon Avenue during phase two. NYC DOT is also proposing to reduce the speed limit to 20 miles per hour along Audubon Avenue from West 165 Street to Fore George Avenue as part of the implementation of Sammy’s Law , which was signed by Governor Kathy Hochul earlier this year.

Accelerating Intersection Improvements & Slowing Turns

In 2023, the administration doubled that initial goal and is making safety improvements at 2,000 intersections with design improvements like raised crosswalks, extended sidewalks, and leading pedestrian signals. Of those intersections, 1,000 locations will receive daylighting treatments to enhance visibility along with design upgrades to slow down turning vehicles. NYC DOT will meet both goals by the end of the year.

This target represents a dramatic expansion of daylighting. Daylighting is a recommended tool in the National Association of City Transportation Officials’ Urban Design Guide .

“Far too many New Yorkers’ lives have been taken by preventable traffic violence,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso . “Street safety strategies like daylighting our intersections are proven to protect people and families, and it’s long overdue for them to become the standard in New York City. I’m so glad that Mayor Adams and NYC DOT have set their eyes on accelerating street safety projects at our intersections, and I am thrilled that they’re ahead of schedule on their thousand-intersection goal.”

“Today’s announcement is great news for all those who use our city’s streets,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr . “We must build upon this momentum by daylighting even more intersections and by taking other steps to make our streets safer. I will continue my efforts to promote street safety by calling for lower speed limits, more Open Streets, and bike lane expansion. I’m proud to already have allocated more than $8 million toward such safety projects during my tenure as borough president, and we will not rest until traffic fatalities in our city become a thing of the past.”

“It’s a fact that daylighting intersections dramatically reduces traffic violence and saves lives, and we commend Commissioner Rodriguez and the Department of Transportation for being on track to meet the mayor’s ambitious goal of daylighting 1,000 intersections, said Ken Podziba, CEO of Bike New York . “We look forward to DOT continuing to prioritize roadway safety by using every tool at its disposal to implement safer street designs in every neighborhood across the city.”

“I’m proud to stand with DOT Commissioner Rodríguez and Superintendent Martinez as we celebrate the progress of daylighting intersections here at P.S. 128 and P.S. 513,” said Sofia Russo, member of Families for Safe Streets . “As a mom who lost her daughter to reckless driving, I know how important street safety improvements like this are. I look forward to DOT reaching its goal of daylighting 1000 intersections and exceeding that to make our streets safe.”

“For decades, Transportation Alternatives has been fighting to daylight every intersection in New York City,” said Elizabeth Adams, interim co-executive director of Transportation Alternatives . “Today’s announcement is a critical step forwards to that goal, and we’re so thankful to our city’s leaders — as well as everyone at Families for Safe Streets, our nonprofit partners, and all our activists on the ground — for championing these critical safety upgrades. Daylighting saves lives, and we know the changes made today will protect countless New Yorkers walking, biking, or driving through our city for years to come. As we celebrate today’s announcement, we will also keep working until every intersection is daylit, every street is safe, and everyone can travel safely throughout New York City.”

“New Yorkers want daylighting! So much so that 17 Community Boards have passed resolutions while 38 electeds and 109 organizations have signed letters of support,” said Jackson Chabot, director of advocacy and organizing at Open Plans . “Keeping our intersections clear of parked cars is a simple way to make a big difference for how New Yorkers experience our streets. Daylit corners are so popular because they’re easier and safer to use for everyone - pedestrians, cyclists, drivers, the very young and the very old - and provide needed space for plants, bike racks, and other amenities. We applaud the DOT for prioritizing these improvements and look forward to a future where every intersection in New York City is daylit”.

• Safety Management

Asbestos in schools: we need urgent action now to protect teachers and pupils

Asbestos was widely used in construction throughout the 20th Century, before finally being banned in 2000 – 50 years after the causal link with lung disease was made.

Sadly, asbestos is not just a problem of the past – the Department for Education (DfE) Asbestos Management Assurance Process (AMAP) found that 81 per cent of schools in England still contain asbestos¹, and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reports that more than 5,000 people each year die from diseases related to asbestos, including more than 2,250 from mesothelioma, a type of cancer that is solely caused by asbestos exposure².

This includes around 200 teachers who have died of mesothelioma since 2000. While the headline rate appears to have peaked, the numbers of teachers dying each year continues to rise ³.

This number is likely to be a substantial underestimate as occupation is only recorded in death statistics for deaths under the age of 75, yet many mesothelioma cases are diagnosed much older than this. There are no reliable figures for school support staff, and none for people who die as a result of asbestos exposure while at school as a pupil. It has been suggested that for each teacher death, as many as seven pupils could die.

Around 24,000 school buildings in England are well beyond their initial design life expectancy and are in increasingly poor condition. Most, if not all, of these will also contain asbestos.

The current approach of management in situ relies on asbestos being managed perfectly and that there are no accidental releases. However, there are many examples of schools not managing asbestos correctly, as demonstrated by numerous HSE prosecutions over the past decade.

In addition, the 2023 HSE schools asbestos inspection programme resulted in one-third of schools being found to be in material breach of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, and in seven per cent of schools inspected the issue was serious enough for an enforcement notice to be served due to deficiencies in management.

If replicated across all schools in England, this would represent over 1,000 schools with poor enough asbestos management practices to require formal intervention, potentially putting hundreds of thousands of pupils and staff at risk of exposure.

In addition, the management in situ approach is very costly in terms of the financial burden of managing a highly dangerous material.

NASUWT also has concerns around the culture of secrecy about asbestos in many schools. For example, it is good practice to label asbestos-containing materials to prevent accidental exposure, but this rarely happens in schools, so as not to ‘cause worry’.

Poor condition of schools

The poor condition of school buildings is another factor, as it makes it more likely that any asbestos will also be in poor condition.

In recent years, funding for school buildings has not matched the amount DfE estimates it needs, contributing to the estate’s deterioration. Between 2016/17 and 2022/23, DfE spent on average £2.3 billion a year, with most of this (76 per cent) for maintenance and repair and the remaining 24 per cent to carry out major rebuilding and refurbishment projects.

In its Spending Review 2020 case, drawing on external estimates, DfE reported that £7 billion could represent the best-practice level of annual capital funding. It recommended £5.3 billion a year as the capital funding required to maintain schools and mitigate the most serious risks of building failure once it had expanded its School Rebuilding Programme.

Since it would take time to achieve this expansion, DfE requested an average of £4 billion a year for 2021 to 2025. HM Treasury subsequently allocated an average of £3.1 billion a year. At the rebuild rate instigated by the previous Government, it would take 400 years to rebuild every school in England.

It is clear that schools will only be truly and permanently safe once all asbestos is removed, and NASUWT has long called for a programme of phased removal of asbestos in schools, recognising that the sheer volume of asbestos would take many years to remove, but at the current rate of rebuilding it could be 400 years before all asbestos-containing schools are rebuilt.

Recommended deadline for removal of asbestos

NASUWT was very pleased when the Work and Pensions Select Committee recommended a 40-year deadline for the removal of asbestos from public buildings, especially as asbestos is not just a problem for schools, but the entire public estate, not to mention commercial and domestic buildings.

Likewise, the recommendation for a central database of asbestos was very welcome to ensure all asbestos is properly catalogued and recorded, allowing for a proper strategic approach to the removal of asbestos.

These recommendations appeared to us to be extremely reasonable.

It was very disappointing that the previous Government rejected both recommendations , kicking the issue further down the line again. We hope that this position will be reviewed by the new Labour Government and it will enact these recommendations so we can put a deadline on removing asbestos from public buildings and finally draw a line under the asbestos issue, once and for all.

Wayne Bates is a national negotiating official at NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union.

Follow NASUWT’s asbestos in schools campaign at:

nasuwt.org.uk

linkedin.com/company/nasuwt

facebook.com/nasuwt

• Department for Education (DfE) (2019) Asbestos Management Assurance Process, July 2019. gov.uk/government/publications/asbestos-data-collections
• Health and Safety Executive (HSE) (2024) Asbestos-related disease statistics, Great Britain 2024. hse.gov.uk/statistics/assets/docs/asbestos-related-disease.pdf
• HSE (2024) Mesothelioma mortality by occupation statistics in Great Britain, 2024. tinyurl.com/jr82jxpv
• mesothelioma
• Lung disease

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DISSERTATION REPORT ON SAFETY MANAGEMENT IN CONSTRUCTION

2018, mayank bansal

Related Papers

Nizar Qurban

This research specifically investigated the safety perceptions, attitudes, and behavior of construction workers and the management of safety practices. By analyzing its results, this study demonstrates that a majority of construction companies in Sri Lanka that were considered in the study have very little risk awareness and that they do not consider health and safety as important issues. The aim of this research was to understand from the data gathered and by analyzing the mechanism of injuries, the value of a Health and Safety Policy and prevent preventable accidents and illnesses by ensuring a good reporting system.

Patrick S . W . Fong

International Research Group - IJET JOURNAL

The construction industry involves risky and unhealthy operations which result in many human tragedies, to lose enthusiasm of workers, disrupt construction, delay progress, and adversely affect cost, productivity, and reputation. The complex nature of construction and hazards it have occupational health and safety in construction work should design table and continue throughout the construction phases until the safety and health of every end users is ensured. Safety is a major concern for construction companies, as it is a source of substantial direct and indirect costs. In some countries, the rate of total workplace injuries from construction activities can be as high as at least 50%. This is undoubtedly a serious matter warranting urgent attention. This paper reviewed that the safety problems at construction site with fetal injuries caused by it with help of different graphical data of agencies .It gives detailed information regarding about the injuries type and physical loss of human from this. This study also revealed that the importance of safety in construction should pay more attention as the injuries loss the human life and also delay in completion of project

suganya prt

The construction industry is considered as one of the most hazardous industrial sectors wherein the construction workers are more prone to accidents. Despite recent efforts to improve site safety, construction still accounts for a disproportionate number of occupational-related fatalities. In developed countries there is strict legal enforcement of safety in , the construction industry and also in the implementation of safety management systems which are designed to minimize or eliminate accidents at work places. However, occupational safety in construction industry is very poor in developing countries because lack of safety regulations and standards, low priority of safety, lack of data on safety at construction sites, lack of safety training, lack of safety promotion, and lack of documented and organized safety management systems. This study deals about the safety performance measurement of various construction firms i n a n d a r o u n d Erode city. This study also investigates the prevalent safety management practices and perceptions in the construction industry. The study will be conducted in construction sites in and around Erode city through method of questionnaire survey, interview and discussion. The results of the study will reveal the safety level of construction firms in Erode and also the factors which are all the reason for non-safety performance of firms. Furthermore, the study also proposes some recommendations for safer construction.

Michael Duah Obeng , Emmanuel Adinyira , Thomas Mills

One of the noted denouements of stress is the causation of accidents, dangerous occurrences and near misses. In construction, stress has been noted to be on the rise due to several antecedents such as; ambitious deadlines, workload, role conflict, poor communication, and dangerous working environments. This study therefore sought to empirically establish the contribution of organizational stressors, job- related stressors and work environment stressors to the occurrence of construction site accidents, dangerous occurrences and near misses. Data for the study was obtained from a questionnaire survey of 204 construction site workers in Ghana. Structural Equation Modelling was the foremost technique employed in analysing data from the survey. Data on construction related stressors showed ambitious deadlines, low salary and working in dangerous environment to be the stressors causing the most stress on construction workers in Ghana. The overall contribution of stressors to accident occurrence, dangerous occurrences and near misses achieved was 0.968 (96.8%) which denotes a very high contribution. Results from the Structural Equation Model (SEM) also showed workload to be the stressor contributing the most (79%) to accidents, dangerous occurrences and near misses occurring on construction sites. The study provides a powerful insight into the failings of construction site safety measures. It empirically points to the soft side of the problem. Data for the study was collected largely from sites with less labour- intensive work and also highly skewed towards the male gender. This therefore may limit the number and type of stressors identified and used in the study. For better results, construction site health and safety officers will need to collaborate more closely with project managers to ensure stress is better managed on site since these are high contributors to incidents on site that have the potential to cause harm and/or damage.

omniScriptum GmbH & Co.KG, BahnhofstraBe 28,66111 Saarbrucken, Deutshland/Germany,[email protected],

Madhav Prasad Koirala

Construction is a dominant part of any country’s infrastructure and industrial development. Construction industries are being associated with it direct and indirect linkages with various other industries like cement, steel bricks etc. generate employment in the country. Construction industry contributed economic activity next to agriculture. But there is a darker side to this explosive growth. For all the big money involved, the sector has barely regarded for the safety of those who work in its lowest rungs. In Nepal, Construction safety in the industry still suffers from ignorance and lack of supervision and accident rate on construction projects is very high. It need to identify the awareness lunched in the construction industries that relate to safety, problems related ergonomic health and safety, and the status of safety engineering management as perceived by construction and consultancies to help reduction of accidents.

Safety and health at work

David Zalk , Paul Swuste

This paper presents the framework and protocol design for a construction industry risk management toolbox. The construction industry needs a comprehensive, systematic approach to assess and control occupational risks. These risks span several professional health and safety disciplines, emphasized by multiple international occupational research agenda projects including: falls, electrocution, noise, silica, welding fumes, and musculoskeletal disorders. Yet, the International Social Security Association says, "whereas progress has been made in safety and health, the construction industry is still a high risk sector." Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) employ about 80% of the world's construction workers. In recent years a strategy for qualitative occupational risk management, known as Control Banding (CB) has gained international attention as a simplified approach for reducing work-related risks. CB groups hazards into stratified risk 'bands', identifying...

HENRY CHIPEYA

Im an HSE official from the Ndau people and I'm keen on reading more abt them. My work has been on HSE in the oil and gas industry.

Emmanuel Adinyira

One of the noted denouements of stress is the causation of accidents, dangerous occurrences and near misses. In construction, stress has been noted to be on the rise due to several antecedents such as; ambitious deadlines, workload, role conflict, poor communication, and dangerous working environments. This study therefore sought to empirically establish the contribution of organizational stressors, job- related stressors and work environment stressors to the occurrence of construction site accidents, dangerous occurrences and near misses. Data for the study was obtained from a questionnaire survey of 204 construction site workers in Ghana. Structural Equation Modelling was the foremost technique employed in analysing data from the survey. Data on construction related stressors showed ambitious deadlines, low salary and working in dangerous environment to be the stressors causing the most stress on construction workers in Ghana. The overall contribution of stressors to accident occurrence, dangerous occurrences and near misses achieved was 0.968 (96.8%) which denotes a very high contribution. The study provides a valuable insight into the failings of construction site safety measures. It empirically points to the soft side of the problem and points to the need for greater collaboration between health and safety officers and project managers.

patrick koomson

The construction work site is often a disordered place with an incredibly high amount of actions taking place, frequent accidents and health related problems. The main goal of this paper is to find out the problems leading to accidents on construction site in Agona West Municipal. Two sets of survey questionnaire were administered to thirty (30) respondents, four (4) for contractors and administrators and twenty-six (26) for tradesmen and unskilled labour because tradesmen and unskilled labourers are always on site and may have a fair idea about construction site accidents. Simple random sampling technique was used to select the thirty (30) out of a total population of sixty (60). The study found out that, the most used Personal Protective Equipment's (PPE's) are helmets and safety boots. Unsafe behaviour of workers was also found to be the predominant cause of accident on site. The major types of accidents on site were site falls and scaffold accidents. The study concluded that, the issue of safety is not practiced as a culture on these sites.

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RTD’s wrapped up downtown light rail construction, but train service is still weeks away

The steel has been laid and the concrete is set, but trains won’t return to central downtown Denver for nearly a month.

The Regional Transportation District last week trumpeted the “ahead of schedule” completion of the first phase of its Downtown Rail Reconstruction Project that rebuilt five intersections over the summer. But, RTD’s press release also noted that the D, H and L lines won’t resume service into central downtown until Sept. 29 as originally planned.

That’s because the work isn’t yet done. 

The agency must first do safety tests on the rebuilt tracks, RTD spokeswoman Marta Sipeki told CPR News in an email. 

“Additionally, the agency will perform maintenance to overhead electrical wires, as well as address preventative maintenance repairs across the rail network,” she wrote.

The press release also cited its scheduling system in explaining why the early finish doesn’t mean an early return to normalcy for passengers. “Employee schedules have already been set through the end of September,” the release stated.

RTD’s driver’s union took that statement as the agency blaming it for not being able to restore service early. ATU-1001 President Lance Longenbohn said RTD executives never asked him if schedule adjustments were possible. 

“They could have come to me and said, ‘Hey, this is going to get done early. How can we restore some service downtown?’ he said. “Instead I got to find out through a press release that the downtown is done early.”

“It’s just f------ b-------,” he added.

When the schedule does change on Sept. 29, riders can expect increased service across the light rail network. RTD recently finished another disruptive maintenance project along the E, H and R lines. 

But construction crews will return to downtown for more rail repair work next summer, RTD officials say. 

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Construction of Permanent Mini Roundabout Underway in Lancaster County to Improve Traffic and Safety

Residents navigating through Lancaster County witness the shape of progress as work begins on a permanent mini roundabout at the bustling nexus of North Plum Street, East New Street, and Park Avenue. A report by ABC27 details that this construction serves as an evolution from the temporary roundabout that saw a significant reduction in crashes since its 2019 installation. Anticipated to unfurl over three months, disruptions such as sidewalk and street closures, along with parking adjustments, are a part of this civic transition, aiming to be wrapped by December.

The city's initiative is not just to alter the flow of traffic—the scheme endeavors to fundamentally reshape the interaction between pedestrian and vehicle, and to forcefully slow vehicular speed to 20 mph, according to the vision laid by Cindy McCormick, deputy director of public works for the City of Lancaster, in an interview with LancasterOnline . The design relies on the interplay of ADA ramps, curb extensions, speed humps, signage, and more, aligned with the city's broader Vision Zero initiative to zero out traffic casualties by 2030.

The enterprise, costing $1 million, harnesses a $300,000 state grant, with the remainder shouldered by the public works budget, outlined in an account by WGAL . The temporary roundabout's reported successes—crashes plummeting from eight within four years to a stark single incident following its establishment—are the critical measure leading the city to cement its presence.

True to the character of mini-roundabouts, the objective is to bluntly lower speeds at minor intersection crossings, with a center island accommodating a larger girth to enable larger vehicles to drive over as necessary. The National Association of City Traffic Engineers advocates for their potency in such scenarios. The refurbishment will inevitably see the disappearance of 11 parking spaces but promises a new sidewalk plaza bearing benches and the artistry of local talent, adding layers to the city's public spaces. These details, including the art piece by Aya Kinoshita, are brought forth by LancasterOnline .

Amidst the steel and concrete, a narrative unspools of a community choosing a path of safety and aesthetics—a choice made manifest in the contours of a roundabout.

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Letters to the Editor — Road construction, guns, Texas foster care system, vouchers

Readers ask why texas road construction projects are so slow; ask about gun safety laws; are disappointed in the texas foster care system; and discuss the cost of vouchers..

12:30 AM on Sep 3, 2024 CDT

California does roads better

Re: “Why does Texas road construction take so long? Planning, environmental review and construction itself can encounter roadblocks,” online story.

I read with interest Amber Gaudet’s story on why Texas road repair takes so long. The experts had a laundry list of reasons and excuses for why it takes so long.

I am often reminded of an experience I had during a business trip to California several years ago. I was traveling from my hotel to my work place using the busy coastal highway, Highway 1.

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One day while returning from my workplace to the hotel, I noticed a lot of machinery beside the road. The next morning, much to my surprise, the entire stretch of Highway 1 from my hotel to my workplace had been completely resurfaced overnight and open for morning traffic.

If California can perform such miracles, why can’t Texas? That job would occupy weeks and months in Dallas.

Ernie Stokely, Far North Dallas

What if officials were sued?

Re: “Owner, security firm sued — Families allege failures by Simon Property Group, others before deadly attack,” Thursday news story.

What if every person who holds a political office and represents the area where mass shootings occur were named in the lawsuits also? Wonder if there’d be changes in gun laws to protect the innocent?

Judy Webster, Plano

Having things both ways

Seems to me the far right wants to wave the Constitution when it comes to having some sensible gun control. Yet when it comes to separation of church and state, the Constitution is totally disregarded. I’m sure our forefathers are not smiling down on us.

Randy Emery, Dallas

Texas is not pro-life

Re: “Still trying to dodge accountability — Texas says neglect suffered by disabled kids in foster care isn’t its responsibility to look into,” by Meredith Shytles Parekh, Aug. 22 Opinion.

The Texas government isn’t pro-life — it’s pro-birth. It disgusts me that this government is trying to evade its responsibilities to children who are already born. As the writer points out in this editorial, foster children with disabilities are in danger, and Texas’ government seems to believe they have absolutely no role to play in helping them.

So, Texas forces them to be born, then the state wipes their hands and absolves itself of any sort of responsibilities for the children? But hey, we’re such a business-friendly state, so that makes up for it, right?

Richard LaChance, Fort Worth

Voting should be easy to do

I am grateful to live in a democracy with free, fair and secure elections. I’m also honored to be an active, trained and certified volunteer, supporting our counties and state in voter registration and information work.

Despite remarkably secure elections, Texas continues to rank at the bottom in the effort required to register (for example, being one of just a few states that does not offer online registration).

Some say that is fine — that voting is a privilege and should require significant effort. Contrast that to other civic responsibilities that require much less effort from citizens. Government automatically reassesses our property values to ensure we are taxed fairly. The IRS offers easy, online tax payment options. These processes are rightly secure, and of course that is essential in the voting process as well.

My point is that voting is not our only civic responsibility and, as with others, it should be easy to exercise.

Cathy Murphree, Richardson

Why destroy education?

Texas is expected to pass a universal school voucher system within the next year. Based on what happened when the first such system debuted in Arizona, we can reach the following conclusions: 1. The cost to the government will be far greater than anticipated because more well-to-do students will participate even though their families can afford to send them to private schools without government help.

2. Without strict rules on what is educational, the money can be spent on activities such as martial arts and ski tickets. 3. Since the money provided to students will total several billion dollars, it is highly likely that state funding for public schools will be drastically cut. Disadvantaged communities will be subsidizing well-to-do children’s education. Vouchers will make education more unequal and unaccountable. 4. There is no good evidence that vouchers boost student performance.

For over 150 years, free public education has built the greatest nation on earth. Why are we trying to destroy this system?

Bob Michaelsen, Denton

No religion above others

Re: “Religion unequal in proposed lessons — Some planned public school materials lack balance or are inaccurate, report says,” Aug. 26 news story.

Rep. Matt Schaefer, R-Tyler, is wrong on two counts — constitutionally and historically — in his support of proposed school curriculum that is infused with Christianity in a way that presents this one religion above others. He makes his position clear by stating, “The simple truth is that all world religions did not have an equal impact on why we’re here today,” adding that there’s nothing wrong with stating such.

On the constitutional count, Schaefer is wrong because presenting Christianity above other religions violates the First Amendment.

On the historical side, where did the idea of monotheism come from? Not Christians. Who developed algebra and algorithmic concepts? Not a Christian. Who discovered the speed of light? Not a Christian. (The answers, respectively, are Jews, a Muslim and another Jew.)

Yet somehow I doubt the proposed curriculum makes mention of these facts, or that Jews fought in the Revolutionary War. Some Founding Fathers were not Christians but Unitarians (a religion with roots as old as Christianity).

Does the proposed curriculum include any of this? No? Then it is factually incorrect.

Lori Block, Argyle

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