Metrorail Strikes Cyclist

[editor]

Metro sent us this statement tonight:

METRO

[ricco67]

The question is, how was it preventable?

I know the cyclist was wearing headphones. Was it preventable if she didn't wear the headphones (and actually paying attention), or was it preventable that something could have been done by the operator?

from what everyone says, she didn't even look when she crossed the intersection.

[HtownWxBoy]

I thought they just said on the news that the cyclist wasn't killed... ??

[sevfiv]

This KHOU article is from Friday:

http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/kho...x.a23d2db5.html

[HtownWxBoy]

This KHOU article is from Friday:

http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/kho...x.a23d2db5.html

So she wasn't killed... good... they just showed the video of her getting hit on channel 2... OUCH!

[Jax]

Here is a link to the video.

http://www.khou.com/video/news-index.html?nvid=217019

This isn't really about the Metro, it's more about walking (or riding a bike) into the street without looking both ways. If there was no train she would have just as easily been hit by a car, a bus, a motorcycle, or another cyclist. It's unfortunate, I feel bad for her, and we all make mistakes, but I don't see why people make this about the Metro. The Chronicle article is littered with comments from people claiming it's the fault of the Metro. Chron comments are almost as bad as YouTube comments.

[Gary]

I don't mean to sound like a jerk, but this poor lady took to many Xanax before her bike ride. from watching the video I can't see how anyone could put the blame on the train. hey that sounds like a good song title "blame it on the train". Maybe tomorrow I'll mess around a little on Metros new theme song. You never know, I might make a few bucks off of it.

[sidegate]

if anything it's a credit to the design of the train that she wasn't killed, even with all its weight and momentum.

[ricco67]

Not really making light of this, all I can think of when I watch the video is the song "Smack that".

I also hate to nitpick, but it also seemed by the signal that the train wasn't supposed to go, but this doesn't absolve the cyclist from her responsibility to follow her age old suggestion of "stop, look, and listen" when it comes to crossing a street, even if you have a green.

[King Owl]

I am very sorry to hear about this. Let's look at the data on metro - there have been an absurd number of train-car collisions and now it looks like we have a bike-train fatality. The cold, hard facts are that this train is much, much more accident-prone than trains in other cities. No one can dispute those facts. It's sad to say, but metro simply should not have assumed that the people of our fair city would be perfect drivers and bike riders. People get busy and don't think to look both ways or drive carefully. It happens. Nobody is a perfect driver. Sadly it cost this poor woman her life. Metrorail could have been designed much, much better than it was from a safety perspective.

[Jax]

Random thought:

I just realized that the same company who makes these trains also makes the PET/CT scanners which are in use just inside the door of Memorial Hermann from where this accident took place. Siemens AG makes trains that harm people, which in turn increases the demand for PET/CT scanners in hospitals. Sounds like a conspiracy to me.

But seriously, I don't think the trains in Houston are any more dangerous than the trains in San Francisco (which also run above ground in many parts of the city).

and now it looks like we have a bike-train fatality.

I thought the article said she was in stable condition. Did I miss something?

Metrorail could have been designed much, much better than it was from a safety perspective

Maybe cars and busses should have been designed much better from a safety perspective as well. I wonder how many people get run over per year by forgetting to look both ways. I almost got hit crossing the street near Binz yesterday when a car failed to stop at a stop sign.

[King Owl]

I thought the article said she was in stable condition. Did I miss something?

I was just going off the thread title. I don't know for sure if she died or not, just made that assumption based on the title

Maybe cars, busses, motorcycles, and bikes should have been designed much better from a safety perspective as well...

This is a weak argument unless you provide data that shows Houston's cars, buses, motorcycles and bikes are more accident prone than average. Our train system has data that shows a lot more accidents than other cities' trains. A reasonable person would conclude that the train could have been designed better from a safety perspective - especially considering a train is something very, very new for most Houstonians. We aren't used to them.

[Jax]

Our train system has data that shows a lot more accidents than other cities' trains

So just because Houston has worse drivers and cyclists than other cities, we need to built a specialized transportation system for them? I'm not saying the Metro Rail is perfect, but its at least up to the standards of other cities. I didn't see any special safety features on the trains and street cars in San Francisco. They did have dedicated bike lanes which was nice, but cyclists still had to cross over the tracks, and I am sure the same accident would have happened there if a cyclist didn't look both ways in San Francisco.

This is a weak argument unless you provide data that shows Houston's cars, buses, motorcycles and bikes are more accident prone than average

My own personal experience has shown me that Houston drivers are less safe than in any other city I have driven in. That doesn't mean I believe Houston drivers should be required to drive special cars with padding on the outside though.

[sidegate]

Our train system has data that shows a lot more accidents than other cities' trains. A reasonable person would conclude that the train could have been designed better from a safety perspective - especially considering a train is something very, very new for most Houstonians. We aren't used to them.

Are the data normalized across cities for usage/boardings?

[memebag]

I am very sorry to hear about this. Let's look at the data on metro - there have been an absurd number of train-car collisions and now it looks like we have a bike-train fatality. The cold, hard facts are that this train is much, much more accident-prone than trains in other cities. No one can dispute those facts. It's sad to say, but metro simply should not have assumed that the people of our fair city would be perfect drivers and bike riders. People get busy and don't think to look both ways or drive carefully. It happens. Nobody is a perfect driver. Sadly it cost this poor woman her life. Metrorail could have been designed much, much better than it was from a safety perspective.

Have you watched the video? There's no way you can blame Metro for this one. It isn't like a train came out of nowhere and surprised her. She almost rode into the side of the train.

[GovernorAggie]

I was just going off the thread title. I don't know for sure if she died or not, just made that assumption based on the title

This is a weak argument unless you provide data that shows Houston's cars, buses, motorcycles and bikes are more accident prone than average. Our train system has data that shows a lot more accidents than other cities' trains. A reasonable person would conclude that the train could have been designed better from a safety perspective - especially considering a train is something very, very new for most Houstonians. We aren't used to them.

Not that the data is handy in my back pocket (but then again, you haven't presented any quantitative data to back up your stance) but IIRC Houston consistently ranks as one of the more dangerous places to drive in the U.S.--and that's just with other vehicles. Imagine with peds and bikes. Just look at how high our insurance rates are. Also, I think that H-GAC has some data showing that Harris County has the highest rate of traffic fatalities in the country.

To second Jax's points, if anything, Metro has gone overboard in the safety features department. Other cities--like San Francisco--have NO differentiation between the train's guideway and the auto lanes. I personally think that the LRT safety features in Houston are a lot like coloring books--you can make the lines thicker and thicker, but some people will still find a way to color outside the lines. Furthermore, to continue to blame Metro for all these accidents over and over is like blaming the coloring book designer for not installing mines and an electric fence to keep everyone coloring in the lines.

[musicman]

My own personal experience has shown me that Houston drivers are less safe than in any other city I have driven in.

So just because Houston has worse drivers and cyclists than other cities

first drivers now cyclists?

[jgriff]

There's not enough money in the world to get me to ride a bike around on Houston streets. I see guys riding bikes on Memorial drive on the weekend right in the middle of the road. I know it's legal, but is it wise? When they're prying your lifeless body from under an SUV you can tell everyone that it's legal to ride your bike in the middle of the street. I don't think we should take away the right to ride bicylces on the street I'm just saying I'm not going to do it because getting crushed by a train or an SUV is a terrible way to die.

[musicman]

Metro has gone overboard in the safety features department.

They shouldn't use the newer countdown timers at the crosswalks along the rail. Having them go instantly red when the trains cross sure doesn't give pedestrians a safe feeling.

[sidegate]

In Britain there's an offence called driving without due care and attention. Anyone using public highways is subject to it. This woman, while I hope she makes a speedy recovery, is fairly clearly guilty of it.

[ricco67]

There's not enough money in the world to get me to ride a bike around on Houston streets. I see guys riding bikes on Memorial drive on the weekend right in the middle of the road. I know it's legal, but is it wise? When they're prying your lifeless body from under an SUV you can tell everyone that it's legal to ride your bike in the middle of the street. I don't think we should take away the right to ride bicylces on the street I'm just saying I'm not going to do it because getting crushed by a train or an SUV is a terrible way to die.

The thing is that the Medical center is a totally different from most parts of the city. You can actually move faster on a bike than in a car or even rail. Many people who work in the med center take a bike. Take a look at some some of entrances in the med center, particularly the Baylor building, and you will see plenty of bikes chained up there. If you live in the montrose, near the village, or somewhere in that area its easier to just bike home.

[jgriff]

The thing is that the Medical center is a totally different from most parts of the city. You can actually move faster on a bike than in a car or even rail. Many people who work in the med center take a bike. Take a look at some some of entrances in the med center, particularly the Baylor building, and you will see plenty of bikes chained up there. If you live in the montrose, near the village, or somewhere in that area its easier to just bike home.

I can understand riding a bike in the med center and downtown. I wouldn't go far though. Riding a bike in the street is not only dangerous for you but those around you also. It doesn't matter how careful you are if other people are not.

[sidegate]

I used to do that route on my bike all the time before my kid came along. I did the same thing she did a thousand times, with two differences: I looked where I was going, and I wasn't listening to my iPod. It's one of the most irresponsible things you can do, and lends weight to motorists' negative opinions of cyclists.

Oh, and I stayed off main roads as much as possible, favoring the side walk. I may have as much right as a motorist to be there, but it's not worth the risk to stand up for a principle. Neighborhood streets are generally okay.

[CSOM]

I can understand riding a bike in the med center and downtown. I wouldn't go far though. Riding a bike in the street is not only dangerous for you but those around you also. It doesn't matter how careful you are if other people are not.

Same with cars though... doesn't matter how careful you are if the other driver is an idiot.

Y'all need to come out with me sometime. I ride probably 1,000+ miles in innerloop Houston per year. No accidents, I can count the number of close calls on one hand, and they were all the drivers error (wrong-way on a one way street, not yielding at a light, etc.). It really is safe, but you have to be smart about it. Pick streets with good surfaces, managable stop lights and speed limits and multiple lanes if traffic is high (i.e. Westbound on McGregor at Hermann Park - Yes 3 Lanes - Eastbound, No - 2 Lanes).

I live in Midtown and most of my driving is Downtown, Med Center, Herman Park, Memorial Park, and the East End. Memorial Park, if you really are going you can hold 25+ to get where you need to go and really don't hold up traffic much.

[RedScare]

They shouldn't use the newer countdown timers at the crosswalks along the rail. Having them go instantly red when the trains cross sure doesn't give pedestrians a safe feeling.

They don't. Do you feel better, now that you know that your assumption is wrong?

[musicman]

They don't. Do you feel better, now that you know that your assumption is wrong?

not an assumption because it happened to me. even contacted the dist I councilperson at the time.

[OkieEric]

Oh, and I stayed off main roads as much as possible, favoring the side walk. I may have as much right as a motorist to be there, but it's not worth the risk to stand up for a principle. Neighborhood streets are generally okay.

If only more bicyclists were like you - I'm all for people riding bikes, but lord does it look pretty dangerous at times, especially when in rush hour traffic out of downtown. If they're riding in the street, aren't they supposed to follow the same rules as motorists? It can be pretty frustrating when you have to pass and repass the same bicyclist b/c they find it OK to skip red lights...

[Jax]

Oh, and I stayed off main roads as much as possible, favoring the side walk. I may have as much right as a motorist to be there, but it's not worth the risk to stand up for a principle. Neighborhood streets are generally okay.

Yeah, I find that there are so few pedestrians here in Houston that you can often ride on the sidewalks to avoid busy streets and nobody notices. I know that you're technically not supposed to, but when nobody is walking on them it's hard to resist. The exceptions to that are probably the medical center, and downtown 9-5 on weekdays.

[RedScare]

not an assumption because it happened to me

Doesn't happen to me, and I walk those streets all day long. Sorry that you do not feel safe. My office is right in front of Preston Station, and I never have a problem, whether on foot, on a bike, or in my car. Not sure what to tell you if you are that uncomfortable, other than to stay away from the trains.

[ricco67]

I can understand riding a bike in the med center and downtown. I wouldn't go far though. Riding a bike in the street is not only dangerous for you but those around you also. It doesn't matter how careful you are if other people are not.

Well, the smarter ones will use the smaller side streets to get to the areas of town that I mentioned.