PLAYING CHICKEN WITH G:LINK TRAMS
How cars and pedestrians keep coming to grief
PEOPLE who prioritise what is on their mobile phone above what’s zipping towards them on the tram tracks are risking their lives and those of others, according to Gold Coast light rail operators.
GoldLinQ has released cringe-worthy footage of dumb drivers and oblivious pedestrians almost getting taken out on the tram tracks.
Cars performing U-turns right in the path of the bright yellow trams, people dashing across the tracks and some vehicles coming hairraising close to higher-speed crashes are among the nearmisses released as part of rail safety week.
GoldLinQ’s Jason Ward said some people in the footage were absorbed by their mobile phones instead of their actual surroundings.
“Primarily, it’s people not being aware of their own environment and being distracted buy modern-day technology,” he said.
“The video evidence shows people on their phones, listening to music — we’ve seen that over time.”
GoldLinQ data shows motorists and members of the public failing to obey the road rules contributes to about 10 near-hits each month with drivers having to apply the emergency brake.
Although actual collisions have gone down in number — two so far in 2017 down from one every month the previous year — people are still taking unnecessary risks.
“It comes down to human behaviour and decision-making. All of the road rules that the trams abide by have been in place for years and people have to know them to get their licence,” Mr Ward said.
Illegal U-turns, turning against red arrows and pedestrians not crossing on a green man continue to be the leading cause of near hits.
Close calls can still cause accidents — sudden braking of the trams can injure those on board.
“People are making risky decisions that they don’t necessarily know the consequences of.”
Rail safety week runs until August 20.