I’ve often thought that Toronto streetcars should have some kind of camera attached to its front end to document the cars that whip past while passengers are unloading. It seems that my idea is already in use, but south of the border — I found this video of an unidentified American LRT system that has its vehicles equipped to constantly recording out the front window. And for good reason — look at all the cars being hit by the streetcar!
As Toronto entertains of a new fleet of streetcars to purchase for its Transit City expansion, hopefully a camera system like this could be installed to keep drivers honest and transit passengers safe. I also think the video is proof that the Spadina ROW is a much better, and safer, template to use than the Harbourfront ROW which has low curbs and an absence of railings.
21 comments
This video is from Houston, where the MTA has been having difficulty in educating motorists to not pull in front of the train.
As a drive, I find Metro’s dark gray and black LRVs difficult to see, and the right-of-way separation could be better than large Botts dots.
Wow, this was gut-wrenching and hilarious at the same time
Houston did a great job from an aesthetic standpoint on the Main Street line:
http://flickr.com/photos/eschipul/186998827/
http://flickr.com/photos/erinen31/1394168893/
Man, those are some solid hits, and the vehicles are really smashed, but notice the camera/LRV doesn’t even shake when it happens.
unbelievable.Just ride a toronto streetcar and you can see some wierd drivers who think they can cut off a streetcar as well.Now if we can teach drivers what it means to stop “behind” the open doors!
What a bunch of morons. I just hope that nobody got seriously injured.
This footage reminded me of another clip where drivers try to outrun automatic bollards which only let transit, emergency and delivery vehicles onto a particular street.
I guess even with the road markings telling you to go straight only (no turns allowed!) people are still either turning out of habit, or sheer obliviousness. Is there any signage telling drivers that they can’t turn? I agree with Shawn’s comment about the solid hits. And people say our streetcars are tanks!
How could anyone who drives so dementedly and recklessly be allowed to work for a transit system?
Truth is stranger than fiction.
“Watch for Twaffic, Watch for Twaffic…”
David, the streetcar drivers are not to blame here. They are operating vehicles that weigh 81,000 lbs (and that is when they are empty). They don’t stop on a dime to say the least. When someone pulls in front of them like that, they can’t stop or they can’t swerve.
There definitely needs to be more education on this. Vehicles getting hit is more common than is reported in Toronto (but hopefully not as bad as the location of the video above). They should be airing radio commercials.
They don’t have to be long.
“I am a TTC Streecar. I weigh eighty-one thousand pounds, empty. I can’t brake quickly and definitely cannot swerve. Don’t be an idiot.”
Houston drivers are well known in the US, as being some of the worst drivers. They are known for not signalling, running red lights, not looking when performing a lane change. It makes you wonder, how someone cannot see a huge vehicle running along visible rails.
Houston drivers have the highest insurance premiums in the US, due to their arrogance.
“David, the streetcar drivers are not to blame here. They are operating vehicles that weigh 81,000 lbs (and that is when they are empty). They don’t stop on a dime to say the least. When someone pulls in front of them like that, they can’t stop or they can’t swerve.”
Not to mention, in quite a few of the hits even if it was an automobile that these idiots were turning in front of theres no way you’d be able to stop in time.
I mean come on, if you’re not in the leftmost lane of traffic (in these videos the LRVs run in the left most, cars in the centre and right) what on earth would possess you to turn without looking to see if there was anything coming at you?
Same thinking that makes people do right-turns and hit bicyclists I guess.
They are the same people who ignore railroad barriers. They also think that the GO and VIA trains should yield to the single driver in their automobile. As well as the HOV lanes can be used by them, even if their have no passengers.
it’s true, it happens in toronto too.
http://www.citynoise.org/article/5545
(that’s on spadina north of harbord)
David should also realize that a lot of these people seem to be idiots who are trying to make illegal left turns from lanes that are “straight only”.
Perviously to watching this I’d wondered if we could do away with the separate left turn signals on ROWs like Spadina’s, and thus shorten the time it takes the light to cycle. Clearly not. Which is too bad as there are many intersections on Transit City routes that don’t have enough traffic to justify left turn signals, yet they will need them to prevent similar incidents, slowing everyone down as a result.
Perhaps there could be a compromise with some way to indicate that there is no streetcar approaching from behind and drivers can make left turns as breaks in oncoming traffic permit, and a red light to indicate that there is a streetcar approaching and drivers cannot attempt to turn left. But then, why try something new when you can come up with an excuse not to?
I love the ones where the LRVs knock the cars aside like bowling pins and appear to keep going. I’m assuming they did, eventually, stop, but it’s an amusing thought that the transit system isn’t letting itself be held up by bad drivers.
I’m sorry but I found that video quite hilarious. The music is well suited.
In the “olden” days, traffic lights used semaphores (arms). Maybe we should have small left turn semaphores with LED “RXR” markings where the left turn lane is adjacent to a LRT right-of-way.
After all, they are “street railways”, and so should be treated as railways. Any collisions should be treated as a collision with a railway.
Crikey – don’t let Save our St Clair see that or there will be more lawsuits about deadly LRVs!
How could anyone who drives so dementedly and recklessly be allowed to work for a transit system?
Truth is stranger than fiction.
Comment by David
lol, if you think that then your one of those goofs thats going to be hit by a train as well…listen david, ”its all the cars fault”.
mike