ricco67 Posted October 11, 2004 Share Posted October 11, 2004 http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/m...politan/2840593Oct. 10, 2004, 11:15PMMOVE IT!Light rail crash title likely to be retained by HoustonNew Orleans has more collisions but fewer injuriesBy LUCAS WALLCopyright 2004 Houston ChronicleNEW ORLEANS - I, like many other Houstonians, thought our city could boast of a new title: "Light Rail Crash Capital of the Country."ADVERTISEMENTBut then I hopped on a streetcar here in the Big Easy. Within a few minutes, I watched a woman chatting on her cell phone start to make a left turn on Canal just as the trolley was nearing the intersection. Suddenly she saw the danger and slammed on the brakes.My first streetcar trip had one other close call, a sport-utility vehicle hauling a trailer that made a U-turn right in front of us."Yipes," I thought. "This looks worse than Houston."In the first three quarters of this year, there have been 56 collisions between our sparkling new MetroRail trains and cars or pedestrians that have resulted in an injury or at least $1,000 in property damage. That's what the state of Texas defines as a "serious crash."We're easily on pace to top the 61 serious crashes the trolleys in San Francisco experienced in 2001, the last year for which comprehensive national data are available from the Federal Transit Administration.But wait Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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