A Canberra Metro spokesperson said the light rail vehicle ran a red light. File photo.
A driver of a light rail vehicle has been suspended after he ran a red light and narrowly missed a car over the weekend.
Around 8:30 am last Saturday (9 March), dash cam footage from a car travelling on Randwick Road towards the T-intersection on Flemington Road, Mitchell, showed the tram almost colliding with the car after running a red light.
A Canberra Metro spokesperson confirmed the light rail vehicle drove through a red T-light on Flemington Road and a review of the CCTV footage from the vehicle has confirmed it was the driver’s error.
The driver has been suspended from driving duties while a full investigation takes place.
“Safety of the public and our staff is Canberra Metro’s highest priority and we regret that on this occasion this founding principle of the Canberra light rail project has not been upheld,” the spokesperson said.
“Following the rules of the road is the key to staying safe around light rail and this applies as much to ourselves as it does other road users.
“As the investigation is still underway, we are unable to provide further information at this stage.”
be careful guys when u drive around the light rail. He didn’t stop on red light??
Posted by Khawar Jadoon on Saturday, March 9, 2019
The dash cam footage, which was posted on the Canberra Drivers Facebook page, has been watched over 47,000 times.
The near-miss occurred less than 40 minutes after a man was hit by a light rail vehicle at the intersection of Northbourne Avenue and Cooyong Street. It is believed the man, who suffered leg and upper body injuries, jaywalked in front of the light rail vehicle while wearing headphones.
ACT Police are still investigating the incident and are calling for any witnesses or anyone with dash cam footage of the incident to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or via the Crime Stoppers ACT website.
In response to the latest light rail incident, the Canberra Liberals transport spokesperson Candice Burch said the Government should audit and report on all incidents that have occurred during construction and testing to ensure the safety of the Canberra community.
“The Minister’s Rail Ready campaign is considerably lacking in actual public safety awareness,” Ms Burch said. “The Government has not done enough to raise awareness amongst pedestrians, cyclists or drivers about light rail testing, and how to be safe around light rail vehicles.
“The Labor-Greens Government owes it to the Canberra community to audit and report on all incidents that have occurred during construction and testing. This is the least they can do to ensure all is being done to keep people safe.”
The ACT Minister for Transport Meegan Fitzharris has been approached for comment.
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