Newcastle transport authorities are calling on locals to stand back, look up and stay safe around the city’s light rail.
Today marks the start of Rail Safety Week and CCTV footage has been released which shows a number of dangerous incidents from motorists and pedestrians over the last year.
Keolis Downer Hunter General Manager, Emmanuel Genlot said the vision is worrying and is reminding the community to take light rail safety seriously.
“This year’s CCTV footage is very concerning. The Newcastle light rail has been in operation for five years now, and unfortunately, we continue to see complacency from the community around the network”
In the last twelve months there have been several incidents involving motorists driving along the alignment and running red lights on Stewart Avenue and Steel Street, with some resulting in collisions with trams.
But those in vehicles were not the only ones in danger, with a number of pedestrians who had run across the tracks tripping and falling on to the road.
“Our tram drivers do a great job in anticipating [motorist and pedestrian] behaviour, as some of these incidents could have had a very different ending,” Mr Genlot said.
“I want to remind the community that these dangerous actions have a broader impact, not only on the individual, but on tram drivers, passengers, and the wider community,” he said.
Tram driver, Peter Samdell says the community needs to become more aware of their surroundings around light rail.
“Light rail vehicles are huge, weighing fifty tonnes, so once you get going, it can be hard to stop”
“While our tram drivers use every possible safety measure to avoid a collision, at the end of the day, we need the community to play its part,” he said.
For motorists it is as simple as following the road rules and paying attention when behind the wheel.
Meantime, those on foot should only cross at the designated pedestrian crossings when the signal is green and cyclists should keep a safe distance from trams and not ride along the tracks.
The familiar ‘Be aware the rhino’ campaign will run throughout Rail Safety Week to remind locals to stay alert around Newcastle’s light rail.