Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
National
Kathryn Lewis

'A chilling reminder': Light rail near misses caught on camera

Transport Canberra has released footage of near misses with the light rail. Picture: Transport Canberra

Canberrans have been caught on camera narrowly avoiding collisions with the tram.

Drivers were caught on camera driving along the tracks, one hit the side of the tram, and several drivers were caught crossing the tracks, narrowly avoiding a major collision.

Transport Canberra released the video on Tuesday labelling it a "chilling reminder" for motorists to pay attention and look out for the tram.

"Look and listen out for the light rail - because road safety is everyone's responsibility," it said in a tweet.

The video showed several drivers taking the tracks rather than the road and one driver who did a U-turn on the tracks after driving on the wrong side.

Several drivers were caught trying to cross the tracks dashing ahead of the tram and narrowly avoiding a crash.

One motorist was seen hitting the side of the tram.

Read more:

The collation of dangerous driving is regularly released by Transport Canberra to remind Canberrans to drive safely.

The last video was released in August, Canberra metro operations general manager Tilo Franz said at the time, safety around the large vehicles was critical.

"Light rail vehicles can travel at up to 70km/h through an intersection and it needs longer to brake because it has steel wheels on a steel track, and it needs a longer distance than a car," he said.

"We're seeing lots of people ignoring red lights and traffic crossings and walking in front of the light rail. We see lots of people not being aware of the situation."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.