[Panzerfaust]

http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/447366

Streetcar crash sends four to hospital

Jun 21, 2008 10:45 PM
Laura Stone
Staff reporter


Four people were taken to hospital today after a crash involving two streetcars in the city’s downtown west end — the second streetcar accident in less than two weeks.

Today's incident occurred as a westbound streetcar was stopped on The Queensway at Colbourne Lodge Dr., around 6 p.m, and another streetcar pulled up behind it and “rear-ended the other for some unknown reason,” said Staff Sgt. Blake Shreve, of 11 Division. "It’s kind of a rare occurrence," he said.

There were 20 people aboard the two streetcars, and four people riding on the streetcar that hit the other one were taken to hospital with minor injuries.

Police said neither driver was injured and the streetcars were not damaged. The matter is under investigation.

Last Wednesday, seven people — including a TTC driver — were sent to hospital after two streetcars collided at Bay and Dundas Sts., shortly before 6 a.m.

That accident occurred when one streetcar veered into the path of another as it turned onto Bay, knocking one of the streetcars off its tracks.

In both accidents, the streetcars were taken to a TTC depot on Roncesvalles Ave. for examination.

- With files from Daniel Girard

All I can say is this: again!? Has someone suddenly placed a curse upon the streetcar system? It's been less than two weeks since that Bay and Dundas accident, I certainly didn't expect to see another in that short a time period.

EDIT: There's a joke about the dangers of bunching on the 501 in there somewhere...

 

[Dan416]

I hope this stops Transit City in its tracks. Or derails it.

 

[nfitz]

Why after well over 100 years of electric streetcar operation would a collision stop expansion?

Newsflash ... man jumps in front of subway train - Spadina Extension still a go.

 

[Prometheus The Supremo]

I hope this stops Transit City in its tracks. Or derails it.

apply that logic to car use or anything else and see how absurd it is.

 

[Panzerfaust]

Am I the only person here who thinks he was just making two cheap puns about rail-based transit? Nobody can conceivably think "Yep, one derailment will stop a multimillion dollar plan."

 

[RedRocket191]

Am I the only person here who thinks he was just making two cheap puns about rail-based transit?

Probably

 

[W. K. Lis]

I hope this stops Transit City in its tracks. Or derails it.

Using that same logic, the 400 series of highways should no longer be expanded and closed up because of all the collisions. And there are a lot more.

 

[Observer Walt]

Check the operator for drugs!

 

[drum118]

Why 2 cars together in the first place?

Where is management since headway between cars is 6 minutes???????????

This will not derail TC. Sorry, but going to happen and more to come.

Using the logic as stated, then we ban everything and we stay indoors.

That not going to happen.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Obs. Walt:

Check the operator for drugs!

Or at least incompetence of some kind...

AoD

 

[Dan416]

It was an opportunity for bad puns. It was also an opportunity to express my dislike for Transit City. Do I think that a streetcar accident would actually stop TC? Of course not. I've expressed my distaste for using LRT where it's inappropriate. But there are corridors where I think LRT would be excellent, such as Hurontario.

 

[W. K. Lis]

It was an opportunity for bad puns. It was also an opportunity to express my dislike for Transit City. Do I think that a streetcar accident would actually stop TC? Of course not. I've expressed my distaste for using LRT where it's inappropriate. But there are corridors where I think LRT would be excellent, such as Hurontario.

When the cities in North America replaced their streetcars or trolleycars with buses, because they were told they were modernizing, the ridership on those systems plummeted. Check out this article on the Impact on Transit Patronage of Cessation or Inauguration of Rail Service. (Note: the article includes commuter rail, heavy rail, and light rail as rail.) They were told service would be better, but it was the exact opposite.

 

[Dan416]

When the cities in North America replaced their streetcars or trolleycars with buses, because they were told they were modernizing, the ridership on those systems plummeted. Check out this article on the Impact on Transit Patronage of Cessation or Inauguration of Rail Service. (Note: the article includes commuter rail, heavy rail, and light rail as rail.) They were told service would be better, but it was the exact opposite.

And what exactly does that have to do with what I wrote?

 

[scarberiankhatru]

And what exactly does that have to do with what I wrote?

Nothing at all. Didn't you realize that making jokes about streetcars would get this kind of serious/defensive reaction?

 

[wyliepoon]

Star

Link to article

PUBLIC TRANSIT
TheStar.com | GTA | Streetcars safe, TTC chair says
Streetcars safe, TTC chair says

Second transit collision in two weeks not a sign of a problem, according to Adam Giambrone
Jun 23, 2008 04:30 AM
Prithi Yelaja
Staff Reporter

TTC chair Adam Giambrone is not overly concerned about safety after the second streetcar accident in 10 days, calling them "very minor, fender bender-type affairs" – and he says riders shouldn't be worried either.

"Unfortunately these things happen from time to time," Giambrone said in a phone interview yesterday.

"We've had two back to back ... So far we haven't seen any discernable pattern. If they had been jumping the rails that would obviously be pretty scary, but all the tracks are new. At this point, the couple of incidents that happened haven't suggested to us there is an endemic problem."

Such streetcar accidents are rare, with two others reported in the last eight months, he added.

"If we get another two in the next two weeks then we begin to say at what point is it coincidence and at what point do you have a big problem?"

Four people were taken to hospital on Saturday after a westbound streetcar stopped on The Queensway at Colborne Lodge Dr., was rear-ended by another streetcar at around 6 p.m.

On June 11, two streetcars collided at Bay and Dundas Sts. shortly before 6 a.m., sending seven people – including a TTC driver – to hospital.

In that accident, one streetcar veered into the path of another as it turned onto Bay, knocking it off the tracks.

"All these cases usually come down to driver error," said Giambrone. "You should be paying attention and keeping proper distance."

Infrastructure is not to blame, he added.

"Toronto now has the best tracks in the world because it's all been replaced in the last 10 years. None of these streetcars jumped the tracks. The overhead is all up to date as well," said Giambrone.

"The only issue is whether or not more switches should be automated. Many of our switches are manual, but then again automated switches can break down. Manual switches don't break down."

Although none of the recent streetcar accidents involved driver impairment due to drugs or alcohol, the TTC's new fitness for duty policy "has to contemplate issues of fatigue because that can obviously have an affect on a person's ability to operate a vehicle," said Giambrone.