This document discusses light rail safety based on case studies of systems in Adelaide, Melbourne, and London. It aims to understand road user behavior, forecast crash patterns, and identify successful countermeasures. The studies found that crashes predominantly involved vehicles colliding with trams or pedestrians being hit by trams. Unsignalized crossings posed more risks. Public awareness campaigns were effective at reducing crashes over time. Lessons for Gold Coast light rail include improving delineation, addressing off-corridor risks, coordinating signage and operations, and prioritizing early safety publicity.

1. Road user
interaction with LRT
– road safety
implications
Ben Vardon

2. 2
RESEARCH AIMS
• Capture light rail crash data
• Understand behaviour of road users
• Forecast likely crash patterns for GCRT
• Learn from safety campaigns
• Understand successful countermeasures
• Driven by readily available data:
− Adelaide
− Melbourne
− Croydon (UK)

3. 3
CONTEXT - GCRT
At a glance:
• 13km of light rail
• Stage 1 open

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CONTEXT - GCRT
Teething issues during commissioning
Source: ABC News
Source: Gold Coast Bulletin

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ADELAIDE
• 2010 – Tramway extended from Victoria Square north along King William Street,
west along North Terrace and Port Road to provide access to the Adelaide
Entertainment Centre
Source: BingMaps

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ADELAIDE
• Northern terminus at Adelaide Entertainment Centre
• Similar to GCRT Broadbeach North
• High pedestrian volumes
Source: Infrastructure SA

7. 7
ADELAIDE
• Crash history, insufficient data for locational trends
• Three reported vehicle crashes occurred between 2010 and 2013

8. 8
ADELAIDE
Centre for Automotive Safety Research:
• Social issues, intoxicated persons and drivers
• No engineering solution
• Safe system principles

9. 9
ADELAIDE
What works:
• Set up for event loading
• Marshalling pavilion
• Wide pedestrian crossings
• Station highly delineated
• Buffered traffic lanes
Source: BingMaps

10. 10
MELBOURNE
• Extensive mature ‘legacy’ network
• Recent extensions:
− Route 109 ‘Box Hill Extension’
− Route 75 Burwood Highway
Source: BingMaps
Source: BingMaps

11. 11
MELBOURNE
Route 109 Corridor:
• Posted speed is 60 km/hr
• Recent improved stop layouts
Source: BingMaps

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MELBOURNE
Route 109 safety 2003 - 2012:
• Six tram/pedestrian crashes, at or near formal crossings
• No reported vehicle/tram crashes
• All with serious or ‘other’ injuries

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MELBOURNE
Route 75 Corridor:
• Mainly segregated running
• Station access via signalised crossings at intersections

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MELBOURNE
Route 75 safety 2005 - 2012
Source: BingMaps

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MELBOURNE
Monash University Accident Research Centre:
• Safety campaigns
• Improved awareness
• Controlling paths
• Improving sight distance to trams

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MELBOURNE
Monash University Accident Research Centre:
• Pedestrians failing to distinguish the front and back of a tram
• Off-corridor risk is high

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MELBOURNE
What works:
• Safety campaigns – fear arousal
• High cost high impact
• Beware the Rhino (2011 and 2012)
Source: Yarra Trams
Source: Yarra Trams

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MELBOURNE
What works:
• ‘Obey the Yellow’ (2008)
Source: Vic Police

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MELBOURNE
What works:
• Collaboration
• Rationalisation of road clutter
• Forgiving tram design
• Safety campaigns

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CROYDON (UK)
• Opened in 2000
• Includes 28 km of track with 39 stops, over three lines
• Mixed use with traffic and pedestrians
• Reserved on-street use and exclusive corridors
Source: BingMaps

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CROYDON (UK)
Source: BingMaps
Safety 2000 – 2013 (TfL data):
• 40 crashes with one pedestrian and one cyclist fatality
• 15 crashes involved injuries to pedestrians and one involved a
cyclist

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CROYDON (UK)
Source: BingMaps
Safety 2000 - 2013:
• Crashes have declined since opening
− Public awareness
− Targeted safety campaigns
Source: UK Rail Accident
Investigation Branch

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CONCLUSIONS AND ANALYSIS
Predominant crash trends
Adelaide CBD to
Entertainment Centre
Melbourne Route 109
Union Street to Box
Hill
Melbourne Route 75
Warrigal Road to Knox
City
Croydon, London
Crash rate (per
km)
2/km 2.7/km 4/km 1.4/km
Type Vehicle/tram Pedestrian/tram Vehicle/tram Vehicle/tram, Pedestrian/tram
Severity Low to moderate Moderate to serious Moderate to serious Slight to serious

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CONCLUSIONS AND ANALYSIS
• All systems subject to peak loadings
• Adelaide system exhibits a higher level of delineation and safer
platform configuration
• Unsignalised traffic movements across the systems are the
exception rather than the norm
• Route 109 in Melbourne, a high number of tram/pedestrian
crashes
• In all cases publicity campaigns effective
• Proven safety improvements of fencing, pavement markings and
signal control
• Safety mitigations have occurred collaboratively

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LESSONS LEARNT FOR GCRT
• Delineation and signage
• Treatments beyond the corridor
• Signage and operational constraints
• Early investment in publicity