Safety Corner
Covering diverse aspects of safety, including training, programs and products.
By Louie Maiello
| September 7, 2012
| Comments (8)
Transit has its own version of Rock & Roll. I once read someone’s comment that, in the case of a bus operator, ‘Rocking & Rolling’ in the seat should not occur if their mirrors are set properly. I strongly disagree with that statement and regrettably say a statement like that will precede an increase in pedestrian knockdowns, especially when turning left and departing bus stops.
By Louie Maiello
| August 10, 2012
| Comments (0)
Curb jumping. Heavy braking. Excessive speed. Dangerous action. These words are sometimes utilized and documented by training bus instructors when evaluating a trainee. Having these words appear early on in a training program is not rare; it’s when the training nears its end and these words are still being used on the trainee’s evaluation forms that should cause concern.
By Louie Maiello
| July 5, 2012
| Comments (4)
In my last blog we discussed bus stop placement pros and cons. Last week I received an email regarding mid-block bus stops and how to make these stops as safe as possible. Servicing bus stops in mid-block and after right and left turns will be covered here. I will also review boarding and alighting of customers.
By Louie Maiello
| June 8, 2012
| Comments (14)
While at the coffee bar, I was approached by a transit professional who asked where I thought it was safer to place bus stops, at the nearside or farside of an intersection? We agreed that agencies, over the years for safety reasons, have been favoring the farside bus stops as opposed to the nearside stops.
By Louie Maiello
| May 4, 2012
| Comments (9)
Greetings! I would like to answer the following question sent to me and thank the transit professional for doing so:
"Just this week, we have had three bus accidents. One type of ‘repeater accident’ has been occurring in the garage involving the driver’s left rear side of our 45-foot [bus]. When turning right, the left rear driver’s side swings out and catches the roof support pole. The last two accidents took out the rear side glass. I need some preventive ideas.”
By Louie Maiello
| April 11, 2012
| Comments (0)
Understanding how to blend simulator supplemental training into an existing training curriculum will most definitely lead to favorable results and positive benefits to a training program. Attempting to build a curriculum around the simulator is a mistake.
By Louie Maiello
| March 1, 2012
| Comments (2)
National RTAP and its partner organizations, the FTA and the National Tribal Transit Association, will sponsor a national conference on March 18 to 21, 2012 at the Radisson, Fort McDowell Hotel near Scottsdale, Ariz.
By Louie Maiello
| February 3, 2012
| Comments (2)
When considering whether to make an exception in your bus operator training program to provide "extra training" (beyond what the training program offers) to a trainee who may have been close to qualifying but failed to, be warned that this can open the door to a flood of others who were terminated now demanding the same courtesy applied to them.
By Louie Maiello
| January 6, 2012
| Comments (3)
From the 'Bus Barn' this month arises two very important concerns regarding the use of bus simulator supplemental training: performance management and speed control. During the past year, I had the pleasure of visiting and conducting several train the trainer sessions at transit agencies in North America and Canada. I was pleased to see the passion among the trainers, as this is a necessary ingredient.
By Louie Maiello
| November 4, 2011
| Comments (1)
'Driver, can you drive faster?' 'Why are you driving so slowly?' 'The traffic signal is green, why are you staying in this bus stop?' Have you ever made any of these statements to a bus operator? Although to some it's hard to believe, bus operators have a schedule that they must safely adhere to, to the best of their ability.
E-NEWSLETTER
Author Bio
Janna Starcic
Executive Editor
Louie Maiello
Former director of training, New York City Transit Bus & Safety Division and 2003 NTI Fellow, is a consultant for FAAC Inc., bus simulation division, and an independent consultant for "Bus Talk" Surface Solutions.
Nicole Schlosser
Senior Editor
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