When you think about a mass transit system, especially a subway, you really have a pretty frightening dynamic at work. Hundreds of thousands of people in an enclosed space. Long, narrow escalators between them and the exit. And the only obstacle between the commuting masses and those who would do them harm is a $1.35 farecard. Metro Police have trouble protecting our iPods, let alone our safety, so it was no surprise to us that the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee recently reported that “for every $9 spent to protect air travelers…less than a penny is spent on bus and subway security.” Officials from Metro and other transit systems have cried foul, arguing that the very nature of transit systems makes them a prime target for terror attacks, and worthy of far more attention. However, this raises the question of exactly what steps we should be taking to secure our transit systems – and who should pay for it.

Photo by Flickr user sloppy seconds.