METRO: Safety by Design
Discussions with other rail authorities and cities influenced the design of the METRO system to make it safer and more street-friendly. Observing and researching similar light rail systems around the country proved to be invaluable in determining appropriate system enhancements for the METRO system.
U.S. cities with similar light rail systems include Houston, TX; San Jose, CA; San Francisco, CA; Los Angeles, CA; Portland, OR; Salt Lake City, UT; Dallas, TX; Denver, CO; and Minneapolis, MN, among others. All of these cities have light rail operating within their streets (semi-exclusive alignments).
The most common light rail vehicle accident types for on-street systems are:
- Left and right-turning vehicles crossing illegally and in front of light rail vehicle
- Red light running
- Pedestrians walking in front of moving light rail vehicle
To improve traffic operations and minimize these and other common crash types, the following features were incorporated into the planning, design, and/or construction of the METRO light rail system:
1) Protected left and right-turn lanes – Turns across the tracks will be made only from exclusive (left- or right-turn-only) turn lanes. “Protected” signals will control left- and right-turn movements by red, amber, and green arrows, which are the safest form of turning control used by traffic engineers. Other cities tried using special “no left/right-turn” signs in shared lanes that activate when a train is approaching; however, these signs were mostly ignored by motorists, resulting in accidents.
2) Longer left-turn lanes – Left-turn storage bays will be lengthened to handle projected 2020 traffic conditions, including storage for the added U-turns that will be required to access some driveways and local streets. Adequate storage is critical to improving safety and reducing congestion caused by traffic backing into through travel lanes.
3) Light rail vehicle cameras – Cameras will be installed on the Metro light rail vehicles so that train operators can better see obscured pedestrians and obstructions. They will also be installed on the vehicle exterior for monitoring and recording traffic conditions and unsafe driving behaviors, including accidents. These types of cameras are currently being used on Houston Metro light rail vehicles.
4) Controlled track crossings – For safety reasons, traffic will only be allowed to cross the tracks at a controlled location. Traffic signals or special signing will activate when trains approach. METRO will use six-inch high curbs that will separate and protect traffic from the rail guide way, which defines the rail corridor. Some cities use curbs and others use concrete barriers (e.g., San Jose), paint (e.g., Salt Lake City) or traffic buttons (e.g., Houston) to delineate the guideway area.
5) Countdown pedestrian signals – Pedestrian signals that count down the seconds of safe crossing time have been well-received in Copper Square in downtown Phoenix. They will be installed along the alignment in the city of Phoenix.
6) Nonstop crossings for pedestrians – Where streets are widened for light rail, pedestrians will be given enough time to safely cross widened streets without stopping.
7) Specially designed pedestrian access signals – At several locations new pedestrian signals will allow people to cross at either end of the station platform. This will shorten walk distances to/from the rail stations and reduce the potential for unsafe jaywalking.
8) Pedestrian fencing – To provide protection for pedestrians before and after large events, pedestrian fencing will be added along Jefferson Street in front of Chase Field and America West Arena in Phoenix. Similar fencing has been installed for crowd control in downtown Houston with great success. In Tempe, two pedestrian-only signalized crosswalks and a landscape barrier have been added between the roadway and the tracks to minimize crossings along Veterans Way near Sun Devil Stadium and the city is working with METRO to develop the operation plans for the downtown area during events.
9) School zones – Special attention has been given to the safety of school zones along the light rail route. Some schools along the route will have new traffic signal crossings, which will be much safer for students when crossing light rail.
10) Neighborhood protection from park-and-ride traffic – Park and ride sites are designed to discourage park-and-ride traffic from spilling over into adjacent neighborhoods.
11) New frontage roads – Access on one-way streets will be maintained for businesses with the use of new 16-foot frontage roads when needed. Drivers will be able to enter the frontage roads at traffic signals and exit at signalized slip ramps to re-enter the main flow of traffic. New specially designed frontage roads were designed to handle large trucks and emergency access and are necessary to maintain safe business access on our one-way streets. This is the first design of its kind being used specifically for light rail applications in the U.S.
12) Safer light rail vehicle front end – A specially designed coupler system (a device used to connect two light rail vehicles) will be on all light rail vehicles. The design covers the coupler mechanism with a smooth energy-absorbing surface and is designed to minimize injuries in the event of a train-pedestrian collision. This is considered to be a leading-edge design that will likely be used on future light rail systems throughout the country.
13) Public education campaign – METRO will implement a public education campaign to inform and educate citizens about how to drive, bike, walk near the light rail system safely. In 2007, we will begin the campaign with safety messages related specifically to construction and to vehicle testing.