"New Indianapolis airport restrictions on vehicles begin"

Wednesday, February 12, 2003

New airport restrictions on vehicles begin
Hailing taxi will take longer; shuttles to be inspected; curb check-in is
still OK.
By Jack Naudi
The Indianapolis (IN) Star


Starting today, Indianapolis International Airport will impose tight
restrictions on taxis, trucks and other commercial vehicles.

The measures put the airport in compliance with a heightened security alert
issued last week by Attorney General John Ashcroft.

"A directive was issued out of Washington that sets general rules," said
airport spokesman Dennis Rosebrough. "Then it's up to the local airports to
see how those need to be specifically applied."

Among the changes:

   . The taxi staging lane outside the terminal, where up to five cabs can
wait at a time, will be closed. Instead, passengers who want a cab can press
a call button at the lower level of the terminal to summon a driver.

The taxis will line up on Pierson Drive at the north end of the airport and
are expected to arrive at the terminal within minutes after a call.

   . Vehicles over 10,000 pounds will be prohibited from using the upper or
lower level terminal drives. Rosebrough said the impact would be minimal.

"There aren't that many coming through," he said. "Occasionally, an errant
delivery truck that is not really intending to be here will wander in."

   . Delivery trucks will have to park on the surface lot, rather than on a
special lane on Skybridge Drive, a road that passes through the parking
garage adjacent to the terminal.

   . Commercial ground transportation vehicles -- mainly hotel, car rental
and parking shuttles -- will be inspected by airport security personnel
before being allowed onto terminal roads.

Rosebrough said the inspections will occur off airport grounds, but he said
he could not reveal where or elaborate on the nature of the inspections.

Rosebrough said the airport has no plans to make further security changes.
Curbside luggage check-in will still be allowed, he said.


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