Light Rail near misses put spotlight on safety

2020-07-13
Image of car in light rail tunnel
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Transport officials are appealing to the community to be more safety-conscious in and around the Transdev Sydney Light Rail network as they return to the city after COVID-19 stay-at-home restrictions.

The latest figures from Transdev show there have been 138 near misses on the light rail network since December, most involving pedestrians.

It indicates many people are not paying attention when it comes to sharing the roads with trams travelling from Randwick and Kingsford to Circular Quay, and from Dulwich Hill to Central Station.

Since the opening of the L2 Randwick Line in December, there have been 67 near misses involving pedestrians, 52 relating to cars and 19 concerning cyclists.

Some of the behaviour has been disturbing with one motorist even driving the length of the dedicated Moore Park tram tunnel, narrowly avoiding a tram.

“To save yourself a few seconds by running a red light or running a tram line is not worth it, you could end up dead,” NSW Transport Minister, Andrew Constance, warned.

Transdev’s network of CCTV cameras has also captured scores of incidents of people walking into the paths of oncoming trams, which, when fully-laden, can weigh as much as 120 tonnes.

“Many pedestrians attempt to cross the line as a tram is passing, wrongly assuming the other track is clear,” Transdev Sydney Managing Director, Arsene Durand-Raucher, explained.

“We are urging the public to look left and right, check both ways for trams,” Mr Durand-Raucher added.

“As people head back to the city for work and play, they must remember they’re still sharing George Street and other main roads with trams.”

Whilst no pedestrian, motorist or cyclist has been seriously injured in the near miss incidents, tram drivers in many cases, are forced to engage their emergency brakes, potentially risking the safety of those on board the tram.

 

 

For enquiries:

Shaun Fewings
Stakeholder and Communications Manager
0411 430 267

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