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Danger on the tracks
TWENTY danger spots on Supertram tracks in Sheffield where pedestrians are at risk have been identified after an investigation into a crash which seriously injured a teenager.
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch launched a probe after the 19-year-old man suffered serious head injuries when he was struck by a tram as he crossed the road.
Bad design of fencing used near Supertram tracks which obscures people's view of oncoming trams and makes it difficult for drivers to see pedestrians contributed to the crash, the official investigation has concluded.
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch said bosses at Stagecoach Supertram should change the design of their fencing and order drivers to sound their horns when approaching the footpath and cycle crossing next to the junction of Staniforth Road and Woodbourn Road in Attercliffe.
Now Supertram bosses have identified 20 other danger spots where similar problems could exist and work is being carried out at each to try to protect pedestrians. Dave Skirrow, training and standards manager at Supertram, said: "In some cases it might be as simple a thing as to cut back the shrubbery. But we are erring on the side of caution. The fence in question is a particular design for that spot.
"It has to keep pedestrians off the tracks, but be strong enough to keep vehicles off if they come off the road, and it also has to protect cyclists.
"To meet all these requirements the fencing had to be quite high, but this meant it was hampering visibility between the trams and pedestrians. Drivers have been sounding their horns at this spot ever since the accident."
Accident investigators say as well as replacing the fence and ensuring drivers sound their horns, Stagecoach Supertram should carry out an accident assessment at other crossings in the city.And they say tram safety rules should be rewritten to ensure all tram systems allow drivers to see pedestrians clearly.
The accident happened on October 27 last year when the teenager stepped on to the crossing in front of the oncoming tram. The tram driver slammed on his brake but could not stop in time and the teenager was thrown onto the road.
The man has made a full recovery, but a team of investigators from the RAIB have spent months considering how to avoid a repeat accident.
The report concluded: "As the tram and pedestrians get closer to the crossing, it becomes more difficult to see the pedestrians to the extent they become almost completely obscured behind the fence."
Stagecoach is talking to police and the council about replacing the fence.
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Weather for Sheffield
Saturday 26 May 2012
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