‘It takes only seconds to change your life’

THE operators of Luas have warned motorists, pedestrians and cyclists that it takes only seconds to change their life.

As the service marks its 15th anniversary this month, Transdev reminded the public that Luas trams travel on a fixed track, cannot swerve and take time to brake and stop. It stressed that coming into contact with a tram can result in a serious injury or fatality.

The company said that Luas drivers continually report the same incidents: pedestrians jaywalking, never looking left and right, often with headphones in and heads down; motorists and cyclists breaking red lights.

“Not breaking red lights and crossing roads and tramways carefully are basic rules of the road which, when broken, can prove fatal,” Transdev said in a statement.

Passenger services on the Luas Green Line started on June 30, 2004. It has become part of the city’s landscape and sound, with its sleek, modern look and distinctive chimes. Its popularity continues to grow with 42 million passenger journeys made on the Luas network in 2018.

However, as a result of recent incidents, Transdev has released new CCTV footage which shows motorists and cyclists deliberately breaking red lights on Luas tracks and pedestrians, including children, walking out in front of oncoming trams.

Seamus Egan, managing director of Transdev, said: “People have become familiar with Luas, and with familiarity sometimes comes complacency. A tram is on a fixed track, it cannot swerve and it needs more time to brake than a road vehicle. Motorists, who often visibly speed up to cross a road junction as opposed to slowing down, need to be more mindful of the potential consequences of their actions.” 

He added: “Not only is the motorist gambling with his or her life and the lives of others, a collision with a tram results in significant delays or curtailment of service for Luas customers. When a collision with a tram does occur, Luas passengers are left waiting for the emergency services to deal with the incident before the all-clear can be given for the Luas service to resume.”

 Meanwhile, Iarnród Éireann has called for greater vigilance by those who use railway level crossings, whether in urban or rural environments, as incidents so far this year have surged by 82 per cent. The company issued a statement this month to coincide with International Level Crossing Awareness Day.

In 2018, there were 81 incidents at level crossings, the majority of which involved crossing barriers being struck by vehicles which continued over the level crossing, even though the barriers were lowering and the warning lights were flashing. There has been a significant growth in incidents recorded so far this year, with 51 incidents at level crossings across the network.

Iarnród Éireann said these incidents can cause significant disruption to rail services and place both road users and railway passengers at serious risk.

All these crossings are equipped with licence plate recognition systems to assist in the prosecutions of offenders. Iarnród Eireann has released video footage of some of the dangerous incidents at its level crossings.