RAIB gives advice after Audenshaw collision

THE Rail Accident Investigation Branch has recommended that the layout of a pedestrian crossing is reviewed after a cyclist suffered serious injuries in a collision with a Metrolink tram.

The RAIB concluded that the boy, who had been waiting at a Puffin crossing on Droylsden Road, Audenshaw in September 2021 had not waited for the indication that it was safe to cross. It says he may have been focused on eastbound traffic and therefore unaware of the westbound tram approaching.

Review

As well as recommending that Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and Tameside Council review the crossing layout, the RAIB made four further recommendations. These were that TfGM should review its safety management system regarding hazards and risks at the project design stage, that the Light Rail Safety & Standards Board reviews the application of road safety audits as a means to identify and mitigate hazards, that Keolis Amey Metrolink should review risk assessments for tram operations and that, along with TfGM, it should review the reliability, operation and maintenance of sanding and CCTV systems on M5000 trams.