Truck hits Houston METRORail train

[Troy.One]

Cotuit, Dallas' LRT system didn't and doesn't have anything remotely close to this level of accidents.

But, it's still not a perfect little saint - so don't get me wrong. It probably doesn't hurt the Dallas drivers' mindset that it also has had a streetcar sys. w/shared ROW since the '80s. And, much of the 45-ish miles of LRT since '96 isn't on a shared ROW w/cars.

[M. Brown]

Which city is more dependent on cars LA or Houston?

[Allan]

LA has more public transit & more walkable neighborhoods, so I'd say Houston. Of course I've never been to Houston either, but I have been to LA. I've heard of people from LA living without a car, but never people from Houston living without a car. I'm sure, however, the living without a car in either city is possible, it just might be more inconvenient in one city than the other.

[Neo]

Which city is more dependent on cars LA or Houston?

I'd say LA

[M. Brown]

I think Houston has passed LA as far has being car dependent is concerned.

[Cotuit]

I guess Houston hasn't entirely cornered the market on morons with cars:

Train hits SUV stuck on tracks

By Jennifer Rosinski

Wednesday, February 25, 2004

An off-roading excursion in West Bridgewater ended with a smash last night after an SUV became stuck dashing across MBTA tracks and was struck by a commuter rail train.

The train conductor and passengers were shaken up, but no one was injured in the 6 p.m. collision at the Matfield Street bridge crossing, T spokesman Joe Pesaturo said.

Two passengers in the destroyed vehicle were arrested while police were seeking the driver.

``They escaped as the train was barrelling toward them,'' Pesaturo said.

The SUV broke into so many pieces authorities originally thought it was a smaller all-terrain vehicle.

The passengers, a 24-year-old man and 20-year-old woman, both of Taunton, were charged with trespassing on railroad property, Pesaturo said. Their names were not released.

Investigators were searching for the driver of the SUV last night, authorities said.

Service to Middleboro/Lakeville was temporarily interrupted while the parts of the SUV were removed from the tracks and authorities investigated.

From The Boston Herald

[Troy.One]

I was just looking at that link up above that documents each location of the crash, etc.

It's at 24 collisions - as of a few days ago. Not incl. other incidents.

Some related news:

Report: Rail design not at fault for rate of vehicle accidents

Light rail safety study to come out Thursday after wreck #24

[Allan]

I still can't believe how many collisions they've had in such a short time.

[Troy.One]

29 accidents now. Ouch.

[Allan]

29 accidents now. Ouch.

Haha. It sounds like many Houston drivers need to go back to Driver's Ed class so they can learn how to stop for a train, since apparently they've forgotten where the brake pedal is.

[Troy.One]

Well, might as well keep this as the continuous crash watch.

Make it number 33. (Still not including other related issues/problems.)

http://www.khou.com/news/local/stories/kho....105616470.html

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/m...politan/2499862

[Allan]

Oh my! Do they not teach people how to drive there?

[Urbanrailfan]

As of now, Houston METRO Rail has 50 accidents, this previous one involving an All-Star baseball fan #50. But that is not the point. I am not pleased with the city government in the past being a bad influence on drivers, and it is their fault that Houston's mayor in 1991 killed the city's chances at ever getting a Monorail system that some 60% of people voted for. The following is a list of consequences of car dependent Houston as a result of this:

1. METRO's Monorail funds were used for other projects. They fixed up potholes (it rains a lot in Houston anyway), transferred it over to more freeway expansion projects that continue today, etc.

2. Houston lost its bid for the 2012 Olympics a couple of years ago because it scored low on transportation options. But that wasn't the case for Super Bowl 38 recently, with Metro Rail running from Reliant Park to Downtown.

3. Despite METRO, which was then an all bus transit system, improving service time to time, even the HOV lane Bus system, because there was no rail, buses became slow, inefficent, dirtier, noisier, infrequent and unattractive to riders. Bus trips took even longer.

4. Freeways became even more congested, stinking up the air down here like it's LA or something. It's now the second ranked city for polluted air. Meanwhile, the toll road system is still being built throughout the 90s. Even two freeway expansion projects would rob METRO of future rail running on right-of-ways (i.e. Katy Freeway and Westpark Tollway).

5. More congestion means drivers becoming even more dangerous. This trend continued until the Metro Rail was built, even then racking up accidents on the trains recently. The situation was so bad that in midtown, traffic is stopped in all 4 directions until the train passes thru with no problems.

6. A car-built city has a negative effect on walking. Houston is the biggest city to be spread out, so nothing is walkable anymore. Drive, drive and nothing but drive until you have unneccesary errands, and being in a rush too much can make you dangerous behind the wheel. Even worse, pedestrians are at risk.

7. In between Metro Rail construction, Tom Delay has kept trying to DELAY rail construction, but despite that, they still kept building it.

8. Now that Houston has a rail system, expansion projects are expected to occur over the next few years, thanks to overall support in the November 03 voting (52-48). By the time the whole system gets completed, it may be too late when it comes to freeway expansion.

[toggie]

the 50th accident repeat

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/m...politan/2697354

No one injured in SUV collision with Metro train

From Staff Reports

No one was injured in a collision between a MetroRail train and a sport utility vehicle near Reliant Park on Thursday.

The train and SUV were northbound on Fannin when the SUV driver turned left at Holly Hall across the tracks, a Metropolitan Transit Authority spokesman said. The SUV driver was ticketed for an illegal turn.

Although the accident was the 51st between a light rail train and a vehicle or pedestrian since testing of the line began last fall, Metro is counting it as No. 50 because Houston police have determined that a July 8 collision downtown was an attempted suicide.

[monsoon]

[Wendell FOX]

^ interesting proposal

Does anybody have a picture of what the street/rail intersections look like? Because with that many accidents against a small light rail system I think there has to be something wrong with the design - are there rail crossing barriers, let alone visible signs, at these intersections?

[Urbanrailfan]

This is Main Street in Houston. The second pic of the LRT station located near the intersection with the most accidents.

Toward the south end of the line, LRT tracks run alongside a street in front of Reliant Stadium and the Astrodome. Third most accident prone area when it comes to making right turns.

After an accident, METRO Police are there at the scene to ticket hardheaded drivers. And the accident forces tow trucks to tow the METRORail car back to the garage. Note the bumper peeled off. Possibly the reason why there are no fatalities yet is because of the bumper that covers up the tailgate that hooks up another rail car.

[Allan]

It still amazes me that there have been so many collisions so quickly. Maybe the city would've been better off with the monorail. It's extremely difficult to drive into train cars that are 15+ feet off the ground. LOL.

[Urbanrailfan]

METRORail runs through Houston's well-renowned Texas Medical Center, the second most accident prone area. The illuminated signs tend to be confusing because drivers can't see them too well, depending on where the sun shines. Also note the left turn lanes - when the sun shines against the signs, drivers are in danger of getting hit from behind.

The Red X does not allow people to get in the turn lane when the rail car is seconds away from passing through. The no sign over the train tells people "Do Not Enter" when train is coming, in case the train's warning bell is not enough to get through to drivers.

As is the case of 4-way traffic lights, the Train in the sign indicates that the train is passing through while the red light applies to drivers.

Even if the Monorail was built, pedestrian skyways will have to be torn down, anyways.

[monsoon]

[Cotuit]

Boston doesn't have any of those fancy lights to tell people not to pull infront of a train. Drivers in Boston actually look to see if anything is in their path or barrelling down on them before making sudden turns. *gasp*

[mjtinmemphis]

My thing is why are these cities building these LRT above ground competing with pedestrians and automobiles? As I've said in a previous post The Dart system in Dallas is only on street level for a breif minute competing with traffic and pedestrians. Metro Link in St. Louis is never competing with traffic and pedestrians with the exception of a few crossings. I believe St. Louis has only had one accident in a 10 year history. Both systems run undernieth the cities busiest areas instead of competing with traffic.

Sounds like Houston Needs to take the LRT back to the drawing boards.

[toggie]

wait am I getting this right

there are turn lanes ON THE TRACKS?????

so the lights tell when not to use the turn lane?

so it you are unlucky enough to be near a train you may have to go past it and try again later???

[Wendell FOX]

There's always a greater risk involved when you have a transit line running in the middle of a major street, but in the set of photos shown I don't see a major flaw as there's signs, both illuminated and regular, that warn drivers; maybe they could put a verbal red "no left turn" sign or construct actual barriers just in case.

The left turn lane appears to be on the road in the last pic though, and as a seperate turn lane it could just wait like it would in a typical red light at a street intersection.

[monsoon]