Impatient motorists, cyclists and pedestrians are dicing with death by taking unnecessary risks around the Parramatta light rail in Sydney‘s west, leaving tram drivers on high alert.
There have been 11 collisions between trams and vehicles as well as dozens of near misses since the line opened seven months ago, according to Transport for NSW coordinator-general Howard Collins.
CCTV of one incident shows a delivery rider straying onto the light rail tracks and pulling back right before the tram passes.
Footage of another near-miss shows a scooter rider in Parramatta speeding through a crossing, forcing the driver to hit the brakes.
“We’ve seen a lot of near misses, it catches people out,” Collins said.
Transport officials believe pedestrians, cyclists and motorists are simply ignoring the potential dangers.
Collins said motorists should heed the warnings as each tram weighs 80 tonnes, the equivalent of two adult humpback whales.
“It takes time to stop,” he said.
“While people think ‘I can walk in front of the tram, it’s going to stop if I trip over’, it won’t.”
Of all the accidents that have happened between vehicles and light rail since the line opened, more than half have been at Westmead.
Transport for NSW is now reviewing each of those collisions and near misses.
“Are there even greater signs, markings, lanes, we could put in to really spoon feed those pedestrians and road users to say please do not do that?” Collins said.
