Transport for London have launched a new information campaign in a bid to make London Tramlink safer which will see brightly coloured images of bunches of flowers painted in the ground at 15 spots in Croydon town centre! The idea is that those people who are staring at their mobile phones or generally not looking where they are going will see these brightly coloured images and not wander into the path of oncoming trams.
A new poster campaign is also being run at the same time which says “Don’t be remembered like this – watch out for trams”. Several other safety initiatives are also taking place as well:
* A team of six Tramlink neighbourhood officers working on the network to reassure passengers and prevent anti social behaviour
* Transparent panels and vegetation work to improve sightlines for drivers to ensure they can see pedestrians and that pedestrians can see approaching trams
* Road markings repainted to show the “swept path” of the trams more boldly
Howard Smith, Chief Operating Officer for TfL London Rail, said: “Our tram system is very safe and drivers are trained to a high standard, but one accident is one too many and we will continue to work with everyone involved to reduce the potential for them to happen. Many drivers and pedestrians need to be more aware of the trams and the fact that they cannot manoeuvre and react like other vehicles on the road. In a busy urban environment there are many distractions and pedestrians using mobile phones and MP3 players while crossing the road can potentially place themselves at risk. Especially during the festive season when daylight hours are shorter and the streets are packed with
Christmas shoppers and those celebrating the occasion we would ask all to watch
out for trams.”
Every foot crossing on the Tramlink network has recently been re-assessed but TfL is also working closely with the London Borough of Croydon to find ways to make the crossings even safer and to update the regulations on tram crossings and identify best practice.
Images of the flowers being used in this campaign can be found at http://www.flickr.com/croydonflowers