Houston's Streetcars

[RudyRockvilleMD]

Trains News Wire had a report about the oddball circumstances surrounding collisions with Houston's streetcars since testing began in November, 2003.( I still call them streetcars instead of trams or light rail.) According to the report most of the accidents were due to illegal left turns across the streetcar tracks. My guess is many residents of Houston are not used to the presence of streetcars unless they recently lived in Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, or Toronto, and more recently, Baltimore, San Jose, or Sacramento sothey are not used to sharing the street with the streetcars.

When we had streetcars in Washington, DC drivers used to drive along the streetcar tracks to make left turns. Driving along the streetcar tracks is prohibited in Baltimore as are left turns across their tracks. Streetcars ran in the middle of the streets in Washington, and where there were no safety islands or platforms in the streets, just streetcar stops, drivers had to stop 10 feet behind the rear door of any streetcar that was stopped at a streetcar stop to pick up or discharge passengers.

[Anonymous]

A ton of cars being hit even a UP emplyoee was one of them

DOGGY

[Modelcar]

....It must be when autos and streetcars have been using the right of way for years it goes pretty smooth...I remember the traffic with autos and streetcars in Johnstown, Pa. and never recall seeing an accident between them...I'm sure there were some but I don't recall it being a major problem. There was lots of streetcar traffic to mix it up with too. The system stopped running in June of 1960. If I remember correctly some of the streets had double tracks too.

[edblysard]

Here's the scoop.
Most of the drivers in Houston pay absolutly no attention to any traffic sign or signal.
Yellow traffic signals means stomp on the gas, because you might be 3 or 4 seconds late.
The rule is, when a signal turns green, you are required to wait 3 seconds, for the folks running the yellow on the cross street.

The light rail trains are really, really quite, and everyone in Houston has their windows up and the A/C blowing full, along with the C/D player blasting.

Houston drivers turn left in front of the train, because they think that having their turn signal on means eveyone has to stop, (including trains) and let you turn.

By the way, Houston had a complete downtown/surban streetcar system, including the last electric interurban built in the US, the Houston North Shore RR, that carried workers from Houston out to the old Humble, (now Exxon) refinery in Baytown.
Those tracks are still there, now UP's North Shore line, wire came down long ago.

The streetcar tracks are still all over and under downtown streets.

Those "no left turn" signs and signals don't apply to you, because you just have to turn left right here, instead of going up one more block and turning where you are supposed to, because it takes a few more seconds, and your important enough that you shouldnt have to wait.

Bluntly put, the main reason for all the accidents is simply because, Houston drivers are rude, tunnel visioned morons....

Ed

[dharmon]

bad news Ed it's not just Houston...CA, FL (east) and east coast from PA to MA...pretty rotten too. Italy...really, really bad.....Bahrain and UAE down right scary..the absolute worst..Saudi Arabia...

[edblysard]

Yeah, you right,
But, are they as heavly armed as Texans?
Well, maby the Saudis...

Doggy, it was a 2 1/2 ton Hi rail maintaince truck, and the passenger got out, and held the crossing arm up, so the driver could try and beat the train through the crossing.
The trains are double ended, two cars.
They were on a test track, doing hi speed tests, and the UP employees were working on the UPs track right beside the test track.
Perfect clear line of sight for a mile either direction, and they could see the train coming.
Just plain stupid.

Ed

[Anonymous]

Ed speaketh the truth again! I just got back from your end of the world and it always reminds me how much I hate Houston drivers.

And what's the big deal anyway-- the UP guy probably just thought he was a train.