Friday, November 21, 2008

METRO SAFETY BY DESIGN

· Improved pedestrian signals – Improvements include countdown signals, new walkways and landscaping to reduce jaywalking. Special attention has been given to safety in school zones with the installation of new signals at some crossings.

· Protected turn lanes – Automobiles may turn across the METRO tracks only from designated turn lanes controlled by red and green arrows.

· Train-only guideway – METRO travels in its own guideway, separated from traffic by six inch curbs. Auto traffic may cross only at controlled locations, and special traffic signals and warning signs activate when train approaches.

· Station design – Stations are designed to discourage jaywalking. Each station has two access points, reachable be signalized crosswalk. Station platforms and vehicle floors are the same height, providing passengers with a no-step entry.

· Signals at frontage roads – Frontage roads near the tracks are controlled with traffic signals and are designed to handle large trucks and emergency vehicles.

· Vehicle design – Cameras inside and outside allow METRO operators to ensure that passengers clear the doors while boarding and deboarding. Doors must close before the vehicle can move. Smooth stops mean that no wheelchair tie-downs are needed.

· Light rail coupler design – To minimize injuries in the event of a collision, the couplers that connect the light rail vehicles are covered in an energy absorbing material. This cutting-edge design is likely to be used nationwide on future light rail systems.


Source: Metro Light Rail via Phoenix Police Department - Squaw Peak Precinct

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've been blogging about the anticipation and launch of METRO light rail in Midtown Phoenix for a couple weeks now. It's so exciting to be a part of this with the city! METRO has been doing a lot of testing at night to make sure the lights are operating smoothly, but most importantly to get cars used to driving alongide trains. The one thing I see alot of, which I hope the blogging community can help spread the word about, is pedestrians walking across rail tracks which is extremely dangerous as we head into the big debut next month.

Phoenix Central - Transportation said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Phoenix Central - Transportation said...

We encourage you to continue adding content to the Phoenix Central Neighborhood Association's Transportation blog.