Accidents and near misses caught on CCTV will be used in a new video as part of a campaign aimed at improving safety on Nottingham’s busy roads with the nights rapidly drawing in. Nottingham Express Transit are urging motorists, cyclists and pedestrians to take care in areas of the city where trams operate with the aim of reducing the number of collisions which would in turn reduce the delays experienced on the tram network.
Over the past year 43 collisions have been experienced which, although most have only resulted in minor damage, is an increase of 15% from the previous year. There has also been a near doubling of near misses reported (up to 179) as people take that chance to get in front of the tram.
Mike Mabey, Head of Operations at NET, said: “The tram is one of the safest forms of transport, but over the year we’ve seen around 40 collisions, an increase of 15 per cent, and a doubling of close calls reported. In the majority of cases, these have involved cars and vans at junctions where the tram has the right of way, and we would urge all motorists to take extra care around these intersections. From previous years we know these types of incidents tend to increase over the winter months and so we’re launching the campaign ahead of the clocks going back at the end of the month.”
The campaign is centred around a video which features accidents and near misses caught on CCTV, highlighting the increases in RTCs involving trams in the past 12 months. The video can be viewed here.