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Green Line in Brighton stopped due to car; Sorry, BC students, you won't get far

Car smashed into pole on trolley tracks in Brighton

Mike shows us what it looks like when a car hits a pole on the Green Line along Comm. Ave. at Sutherland Road.

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Comments

What bothers me the most about the photo is the stop sign for the trolleys.

At a signalized intersection.

WHY.

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It looks to me like the side street doesn't cross the trolley tracks here, but a crosswalk does.

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Looks like the actual crash location is at Colborne Rd intersection. The stop sign would be on the outbound track, where trolleys would have just come down the hill from Washington St. Safety stop for speed control before heading into the Sutherland stop and further downhill.

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So, yes, it is an enforced stop probably to keep cars from going too fast in a pedestrian area. Most will likely stop to drop passengers ahead so it isn't a huge time hit for them. It could probably be removed with a station rebuild and safer infrastructure. The fact that the rest of the line doesn't have transit signal priority is the real issue.

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...there'd be a stop sign in both directions. Only present on downhill (westbound) track.

The other side, the trolley would be departing the stop, but a passenger platform of course does not mandate a stop. If there was a need to indicate stop & proceed at that location a stop sign would be needed.

Why safety stops? Without speed control or signals, it's a way to ensure the trolley isn't going too fast for conditions. Works better than speed bumps for rail vehicles.

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This is an insane intersection. Outbound cars come screaming over the hill and run that red light constantly. There is even an alert at the top of the hill letting them know there is a signal ahead, but it does little good. The in-bound side has a long stretch just after a curve which drivers seem to take as a challenge to see how fast they can get going up the next hill. There are four walk-lights across Comm Ave and they seem to be taken out in rotation by cars; it's unusual for all four to be working at the same time. Cars are always turning in front of trains.

The only reason I didn't actually see this particular accident (and was not made late to work) is because I'm working from home today. But I can take a good guess as to how it happened...

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Basically, the signals are *only* controlled by pedestrian buttons here on both sides of Comm Ave.

Colborne is a one-way away from Comm Ave. The westbound carriage lane isn't allowed to turn onto the main lanes of Comm Ave or cross Comm Ave to go eastbound. The train crossing only exists for eastbound lanes to cross to Colborne or hang a U-turn. However, you can't see past the train fencing well as you go eastbound and have to cross 3 lanes of traffic (2 plus the carriage lane). So most turning cars start the left, stand on the outbound tracks, and then cross fully after getting a better view up Comm Ave.

This is also the only way to get back in that part of Brighton from the west as Washington St is marked for no left turns on outbound Comm Ave (why? I don't know, there's even a pause in the westbound traffic light cycle for dedicated left turns from the other side but it's only used by the pedestrian lights and eastbound traffic to go straight even though there's never enough to need the extended green. That light cycle is always messed up). So, because it's one of the only ways across Comm Ave (you can make an earlier left or two or go all the way to Summit and hang a U-turn), it's pretty heavily used by left-turning vehicles.

I imagine that's why it has a stop sign, on top of it being downhill directly into a T stop (there's a stop sign going inbound coming off that hill too that they have to make before approaching the traffic signal at Washington).

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You've clearly put a lot of thought into this.

And the BTD hasn't.

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The stop sign is for a safety stop/brake test due to the hill.

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Ideal weather day to wear capri pants

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im going to need another city car!

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Arrest them for trespassing as you would someone who walks on the T tracks. They should face some sort of consequence for ruining hundreds of peoples morning and potentially damaging public property.

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They may have ended up there with help from another vehicle.

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