For transit employees working with the public on a daily basis, no two shifts might be the same and each day can bring an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the customers we serve. Often, the acts go unnoticed, but for two SEPTA employees, their special acts — both coming within hours of each other — were caught on video.
I’ve been noticing a rising number of folks — driving vehicles of all types — rushing through intersections after the signal has reached a full and solid red.
It happens every day. A pedestrian sees a bus barreling down the road but is convinced he can make his way to the other side without harm. Most of the time he’s right, and the only harm done is to the driver’s skyrocketing blood pressure.
Diagnose, Prescribe & Follow-Up, are the usual doctor’s actions that are utilized when visiting the doctor’s office for whatever is ailing us. This formula should also apply within your training department with regard to the ailment of Bus Collisions.
I recently attended, and had the opportunity to be part of a panel of speakers, at the NYC MTA Bus Safety Symposium. A variety of topics were discussed regarding bus and pedestrian safety issues. What was obvious is we all have a common goal to provide the safest transit systems possible, in spite of the possibility of increasing bus/pedestrian and bus/cyclist collisions.
Bus operators are not blindfolded. Operators are trained and required to identify potential hazards, based on their forward planning skills. With regard to left turns, these so called “blind spots” are really areas behind the left A-pillar/mirror that are “temporarily” obstructed to the operator, not blind to the operator. The key here is for the operators to utilize their observation and forward planning skills to minimize the time that their vision is temporarily obstructed. The pedestrian that regrettably becomes a victim of bus contact should be in the clear view of the operator long before arriving at the location where the contact occurred. Pedestrians are not “coming out of nowhere!"
Just one month after being shut down by the FMCSA due to its involvement in a well-publicized collision that killed four passengers, Sky Express defied the order, putting its buses back in service. Meanwhile, another rash of motorcoach accidents is getting media coverage. How do these “chameleons” get away with it?
The NTSB recently wrapped its investigation of the crash site in August.
Following the Sept. 12 Metrolink rail accident in Chatsworth, Calif., the operation has taken steps to bolster its safety measures, including adding a crewmember in the lead cab and making equipment and track improvements.
Paying close attention to the quality of drivers and vehicles can help eliminate accidents in this already secure industry.
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