Danger Train preps for Halloween
Several injured in Houston light rail train collision (Houston Chronicle)
A light rail train struck a sport utility vehicle in downtown Houston today when the driver went through a stop light at the intersection, Metro police said. The train hit the Chrysler Aspen broadside about 3:15 p.m. on Main at Pease.
The driver and the passenger in the SUV were taken to hospitals, along with about seven people in the train who said the accident injured them, authorities said. Their conditions were not immediately known. The accident remains under investigation.
Hey, I have a GREAT idea -- let's build MORE light rail down the middle of busy, congested surface streets and see what happens!
UPDATE: KTRK-13 posts photos.
UPDATE 2: KHOU-11 reports. And KPRC-2.
UPDATE 3: KTRK-13 reports (on air, no link yet) tonight that a METRO bus hit a pedestrian tonight. METRO admitted its driver was at fault. However, that must be mistaken, as defenders of METRO insist the organization is never at fault for anything, ever. :)
UPDATE 4: Here is the Chron story about UPDATE 3:
A Metro bus struck and injured a woman in downtown Houston this afternoon.
The bus was turning from Walker onto Bagby shortly before 5 p.m. when it hit the woman, who was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital with arm, neck and back injuries, said Metro spokeswoman Raequel Roberts.
No one on the bus was injured in the accident.
The bus driver was at fault because the woman had the right of way as a pedestrian, Roberts said.
She said the driver will undergo drug testing and an investigation by First Transit, the company that runs garages for Metro.
Runs garages? Umm, a garage didn't hit a pedestrian. A bus did.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/09/07 17:13 | Danger Train | Technorati
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Comments
Hey, I have an idea. Why don't all the moron drivers out there actually obey the freaking law? You run a stop light ANYWHERE, you risk lives including your own. You'd think that people would be smart enough to figure that out by now.
Posted by Jeff @ 18:28 on 10/09/07
Fine, but they don't.
It is lunacy to continue to build light rail down congested streets. Sheer lunacy. And expensive lunacy at that.
There's really no claiming otherwise given the body of evidence we have so far, although it's entertaining to watch the commuter-rail-at-grade-is-great/freight-rail-at-grade-is-horrid crowd try to do so :)
Posted by Kevin @ 18:40 on 10/09/07
Dude, come on. There is no comparing commuter vs. freight rail. And I find it unfathomable that the city should alter infrastructure plans for the good of the stupid few. You ignore the fact that the rate of vehicle-light rail incidents has dropped redically. So, now that we're all "used to it", let the idiots not paying attention go to it. Otherwise, what else could capture your fancy to this degree?
Posted by txyankee @ 19:47 on 10/09/07
Wow, I can type well, huh? 'redically' really ought to be 'radically'. Maybe I should have taken that typing class...
Posted by txyankee @ 19:49 on 10/09/07
Dude, come on. There is no comparing commuter vs. freight rail.
Sure there is.
Perhaps you haven't followed the recent freight-rail-congestion news, in which the CTC (yeah, the same folks who LIKE Richmond rail, with north-south traffic that poses even greater challenges than that on Main) got coverage from Rad Sallee in the Chronicle, and our own mayor flew around with a federal official in a helicopter to complain about the problem of traffic congestion caused by freight rail lines.
Even as METRO plans to build more at-grade passenger rail that will contribute to the same type of congestion.
We could segregate our rail from traffic in any number of ways. We could elevate it. We could design the system more like DART. But METRO has chosen not to do that, and instead build it down busy roads. With those terrible drivers.
If you want to join the commuter-rail-at-grade-is-great-but-freight-rail-at-grade-is-bad crowd, knock yourself out. But I suspect you know better.
Otherwise, what else could capture your fancy to this degree?
It entertains me.
Like puppies and gay issues entertain some people. People blog about things for all sorts of reasons. *shrug*
I just don't know why the topic of the Danger Train bothers some people so much.
That may be partly why it continues to entertain me. It's an even better joke that one of my best friends and a light-rail proponent came up with the term. :D
Posted by Kevin @ 20:39 on 10/09/07
How very sad.
I still think they should consider painting them neon as they "blend in" too much...may save a life.
Posted by Mary McClure @ 21:04 on 10/09/07
The argument that people break the law so we should adjust to THEM is not a good one. DART, in the heart of downtown Dallas runs right on the street with traffic. Even more complicated, San Francisco has one of the craziest systems I've ever seen with their street cars nearly non-existent labeling of their streets. I was there last summer and, mostly, you just have to pay attention and listen for the bell. Yet, somehow they manage to survive.
Posted by Jeff @ 21:29 on 10/09/07
Most of DART's system does not run in the middle of highly congested streets.
ALL of METRO's system does just that -- with poor results -- and more of the same is being proposed.
Yes, Houston drivers are bad. And yes, it is lunacy to continue to mix Houston's bad drivers with light rail when you don't HAVE to do so.
Trolleys are old technology. There's a reason most municipalities got rid of trolleys in their busy streets decades ago. We could do so much better with our mass transit.
Posted by Kevin @ 21:45 on 10/09/07
Too many have been hurt and killed...and even good law-abiding drivers and pedestrians can make honest mistakes.
I don't drive downtown, but a very cautious, law-abiding, and good driver I know indicated it "crept up"...and almost hit it.
I don't care for the light rail idea personally...but neon would be a compromise...
Posted by Mary McClure @ 22:31 on 10/09/07
If we're not going to adopt DART's downtown crossing arms, then neon seems like a good idea! :)
Posted by Kevin @ 22:37 on 10/09/07
Maybe I should not comment because I was not there...but this driver...well, he's no lame brain.
He told me this a long time ago when I heard the rail was new...is it possible the crossing arms were not put in yet?...or were they all put in immediately?
Are they all in now?
Posted by Mary McClure @ 22:55 on 10/09/07
There are only crossing arms at a handful of locations.
I think they were deemed too expensive by METRO, which was in a rush to get the rail in for the Super Bowl to show all the sports hacks Houston is world class.
Recently, METRO decided to put flashing lights in the pavement at the Main Street crossings. Of course, a few weeks after installation, many of the lights are not working.
Not that METRO is ever at fault. For anything. Ever. According to some. :)
Posted by Kevin @ 22:59 on 10/09/07
Now I'm a lame brain...I'm tired. DART is Dallas...does METRO have crossing arms?
Posted by Mary McClure @ 23:00 on 10/09/07
Only a few. And many more recently installed pavement lights (too many of which are already burning out).
Posted by Kevin @ 23:03 on 10/09/07
O.k...you type fast. Now I see your answer above my question. Very interesting...
Posted by Mary McClure @ 23:05 on 10/09/07
<i> DART, in the heart of downtown Dallas runs right on the street with traffic. </i>
That's just one TINY part of DART that you are pointing out. At-grade-down-busy-streets is the ENTIRETY of the Metro light-rail system.
Once again I'm astounded by the amount of defenders that Metro receives on its flawed transit plan. Also that "anti-THIS PLAN" is automatically equated to "anti-mass transit" by those same Metro defenders.
Wanting a transit organization that actually responds to the travel patterns of the citizenry USED to be considered common sense. Now its considered being a transit luddite as "urban planning" has replaced "mobility" as the buzzword for the "new" transit model.
Amazing.
Posted by Cory @ 10:44 on 10/10/07
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