T Riders Union: available technology might have prevented T crash
By neilv - 5/14/09 - 7:49 am
The T Riders Union suggests that readily-available failsafe technology might have prevented Friday's Green Line crash, the Herald reports.
The failsafe sensors are used on the Red Line and Orange Line, but Grabauskas says that installing them in Green Line tunnels is more difficult, and that raising this issue is a "distraction" from the root cause of Friday's crash.
Comments
For once, Smiling Dan is
For once, Smiling Dan is right.
Operators need to leave their phones at home, or be immediately fired. They have a responsibility to both the MBTA and the public to be serious and operate these massive vehicles safely.
Far too often you see them goofing off, talking on phones, or operating them erratically.
What could have prevented
What could have prevented this accident was some douche NOT texting and actually doing his job.
SEPTA in Philadelphia has
SEPTA in Philadelphia has installed such a system in their downtown trolley subway, which is very much like the Green Line. The new signal installation has had its problems, you can read about some of them in the SEPTA section at railroad.net:
http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=72&t=61218&st=0&sk=t&sd=a
Here is a link to a
Here is a link to a Philly.com story from last year about the problems with SEPTA's new trolley signal system (the type TRU would like for the Green Line)
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/35271209.html
Impending Crash Sensor
I know a number of car makers now offer a sensor that detects if you are about to rear-end another car and it will automatically hit the brakes. I'm surprised that nobody has been adapting this technology to a trolley. It sounds like a no-brainer.
Volvo
has a simulator demonstrating this in their tent at the Race Village on Fan Pier. I guess it's a feature of their newest cars.