Pamene ndinali kulemba nkhaniyi, ndinalandira kanema wa mayeso a ngozi a 1999 omwe adachitika ndi Texas Transportation Institute omwe akuwonetsa momwe chotchinga chimagwirira ntchito. Chimatchedwa terminal. Mudzazindikira gawo ili la chotchinga kuchokera mumsewu, lolembedwa ndi mizere yachikasu ndi yakuda. Galimoto ikagundana ndi terminal, chotchingacho chimayamwa mphamvu ya kugundana mwa kupindika ngati accordion. Gawo lathyathyathya kutsogolo, lotchedwa kumapeto kapena mutu, limatsetsereka motsatira chotchinga, kuthandiza kuchepetsa galimotoyo. Nthawi yomweyo, mutuwo umakankhira chotchinga kutali ndi galimotoyo kuti chikhale kutali ndi dalaivala ndi okwera. Mutha kuwona chotchinga chachitsulo chikutsetsereka kupita kumbali panthawi yokonza mabuleki. Wopanga terminal, Trinity Industries, ndiye mutu wa mlandu womwe umanena kuti unasintha kukula kwa mamembala othandizira chotchinga popanda kudziwitsa oyang'anira boma. Kusinthaku kunapulumutsa kampaniyo pafupifupi $2 pa mutu uliwonse wa chotchinga. Koma mlanduwo umati zidazo zinaletsa chotchingacho kudutsa bwino mu terminal. Zotsatira zake: M'malo mokankhira pambali chotchinga chachitsulo, chotchingacho chinaopseza kudula galimotoyo.
Nkhawa zikukulirakulira pankhani ya chitetezo cha mpanda womwe umagulitsidwa ndi Trinity Industries pamene boma lina likuopseza kuti lisiya kuugula ndipo likuganiza zowuchotsa.
M'kalata yopita ku Trinity Lachisanu, Virginia inati akuluakulu aboma oyendetsa mayendedwe akukhulupirira kuti Trinity inalephera kuyesa bwino malekezero a zopinga zomwe idakweza mu 2005. Akuluakulu aku Virginia adauzanso Trinity yomwe ili ku Dallas kuti kampaniyo idasintha kapangidwe kake popanda chilolezo chawo.
Akuluakulu aboma adati ngati kampaniyo sichita mayeso atsopano ndi akuluakulu aku Virginia ndikupereka umboni ku Unduna wa Zoyendera pofika pa Okutobala 24, boma lidzaletsa zinthuzi.
"Tawapatsa nthawi yomaliza yoti apereke maphunziro omwe tidawapempha," adatero Marshall Herman, wolankhulira dipatimenti. "Ngati sangatitsimikizire kuti mankhwalawa ndi otetezeka kugwiritsidwa ntchito pamisewu ya ku Virginia, sitidzagwiritsa ntchito ndipo tidzayamba kulemba mndandanda wa malo omwe adayikidwa ndikuganizira zochotsa."
Mneneri wa Trinity, Jack Todd, adati kampaniyo "igwirizana mokwanira ndipo ikuyembekezera kutenga nawo mbali" pakuwunika kwa boma mipanda. Ponena za zomwe a VA adapeza, adati, "Trinity ilumikizana mwachindunji ndi bungweli kuti akambirane ndikuyankha kalata yawo."
Mwezi watha, mayiko ena, kuphatikizapo Missouri ndi Massachusetts, adawonetsa nkhawa zomwe zikukulirakulira za chitetezo cha mpanda wa Trinity. Mu Januwale chaka chino, Nevada idaletsa kugulitsa mankhwalawa, ponena za zomwe Trinity adavumbulutsa molakwika. Tsopano, mpanda, wotchedwa ET-Plus, ndi nkhani ya mlandu wa federal womwe ukuimba mlandu Trinity kuti ndi wachinyengo. Mlanduwu udamvedwa Lolemba ku Marshall, Texas.
Mkanganowu ukukhudza kusintha kwa kapangidwe ka Trinity ku dongosolo la ET-Plus mu 2005. Oyang'anira ena aboma ndi milandu yaboma akunena kuti kusinthaku kungapangitse kuti zipata zotetezera magalimoto zikhale mikondo pakugundana maso ndi maso. Kusinthaku sikunawululidwe kwa owongolera aboma kwa zaka zisanu ndi ziwiri, ngakhale kuti pali zofunikira kuti kusintha kulikonse kotereku kudziwitsidwe nthawi yomweyo. Trinity ndi kampani yayikulu yopereka zipata zotetezera magalimoto ku US
Mfundo ya chotchinga choteteza ndi yakuti ngati galimoto yagundana kutsogolo, chotchingacho chimapindika ngati accordion, zomwe zimayamwa kugunda kwa galimotoyo ndikuyithandiza kuti ibwerere mmbuyo. Kuphatikiza apo, chidutswa chachitsulo chathyathyathya kutsogolo kwa chotchinga (chotchedwa "mutu") chimatsetsereka motsatira chotchinga chachitsulo, ndikuchikankhira pambali ndikuchilola kuti chichotsedwe bwino.
Akuluakulu ena aboma anati chinthu chopangidwanso cha Trinity m'malo mwake chinachepetsa njira yomwe inali kumbuyo kwa mutu wa njanji, zomwe zinapangitsa kuti mutu wa njanji ukhale womamatira m'malo motsetsereka. Izi zikachitika, mutu wa njanji umagwira ntchito ngati mpeni ndipo umabaya galimotoyo, zomwe zingavulaze kapena kupha anthu okwera.
M'kalata yopita ku Trinity Lachisanu, Virginia inati akuluakulu oyendetsa mayendedwe aboma akukhulupirira kuti Trinity idalephera kuyesa bwino malekezero a zotchinga zomwe zidakonzedwa mu 2005.
Mlanduwu ukunena kuti zipata zotetezera magalimoto zachititsa ngozi zosachepera 14 mdziko lonse, zomwe zapha anthu asanu ndikuvulaza ena ambiri. Malinga ndi zikalata zamkati mwa Trinity, kusinthaku kukuyembekezeka kupulumutsa kampaniyo $2 pa munthu aliyense woyendetsa galimoto.
Mu Meyi, Virginia idatumiza mafunso ku Trinity okhudza zopinga ndipo idapempha zikalata zina zoyesera ngozi ndi ma chart a ET-Plus. Zomwe boma lapeza zikutsutsana ndi zomwe bungwe la Federal Highway Administration lidapeza. Bungwe la Federal Highway Administration lidati lidawunikanso zotsatira za mayeso a ngozi a 2012 ndipo lidatsimikiza kuti zopingazo zinali zoyenera thandizo la boma. Nyuzipepala ya New York Times idanena Lolemba kuti akuluakulu a misewu yayikulu adawonetsa kukayikira za zopingazo asanapereke chitsimikizo kwa anthu onse.
"Tilibe deta yodalirika yosonyeza kuti malo oimika magalimoto a ET-Plus sakugwira ntchito bwino," Tony Furst, wachiwiri kwa woyang'anira chitetezo cha bungweli, analemba kalata mu Januwale 2013 yopita ku gulu lopanda phindu loyimira madipatimenti amisewu ndi mayendedwe mdziko lonselo.
Ngakhale kuti maboma ndi omwe ali ndi udindo pa zida za pamsewu, bungwe la federal limachita gawo lofunika kwambiri chifukwa limapereka malangizo pa zinthu zomwe zikuyenera kubwezeredwa ndalama za boma.
Lachisanu lapitali, a Furst adapereka chikalata chopempha madipatimenti oyendetsa magalimoto aboma kuti apereke chidziwitso chokhudza momwe ET-Plus imagwirira ntchito.
"Kutengera ndi zomwe tili nazo, tidzachita zonse zofunika kuti misewu yathu ikhale yotetezeka," wolankhulira Dipatimenti Yoyendetsa Magalimoto Brian Farber adatero Lachiwiri.
Mneneri wa Dipatimenti Yoona za Mayendedwe ku Virginia, Herman, adati boma likukonzekera kupanga zisankho zakezake zachitetezo popanda kudalira zitsimikizo za boma.
"Ngakhale ngati chinthu chili pamndandanda wovomerezeka ndi boma, sizikutanthauza kuti tikufuna kuti chikhale pamndandanda wathu," adatero.
Boma silinadziwebe kuchuluka kwa ndalamazo zomwe zimachokera ku Trinity's ET-Plus, ntchito yomwe liyenera kuchita ngati kampaniyo ilephera kukwaniritsa zomwe ikufuna pofika pa 24 Okutobala.
Trinity yakumana ndi mavuto ambiri m'masabata aposachedwa, kuphatikizapo a ABC's 20/20, koma kampaniyo yati "ili ndi chidaliro chonse mu kugwira ntchito bwino ndi umphumphu wa dongosolo la ET-Plus."
Kumayambiriro kwa Seputembala, lipoti lotulutsidwa ndi University of Alabama ku Birmingham linasanthula pafupifupi zaka khumi za deta ya ngozi kuchokera ku mayiko kuphatikizapo Missouri ndipo linatsimikiza kuti sitima za ET-Plus zinali ndi mwayi wopha anthu pafupifupi katatu kuposa sitima zam'mbuyomu.