Well, here we go again… Apparently there has been another accident between a light rail train, and a car in the Rainier Valley with Sound Transit’s at-grade light rail alignment.

This should not surprise anyone who has been following light rail projects across the nation. One alignment has even been dubbed the “Wham-Bam-Tram” because of the numerous accidents it has been involved in. Most of them were caused by the same movement by the driver- a left hand turn taken IN FRONT of the train. Is that legal or wise? NO. Is that predictable? YES.

Some Draconian posters on other blogs have  made comments about Darwin, natural selection, and the intelligence levels of the folks who get into these accidents, but the fact is that utilizing an at grade alignment sets up the conditions for terrible accidents and very possibly, deaths.

We hope not. And we hope that Sound Transit will learn from their mistakes going forward on ST2 from the mistakes made by the other light rail systems throughout the country, and  do a better job of making the ST2 alignments safe…

See our posts on  previous Sound Transit light rail accidents HERE and HERE…

Light Rail Trail Collides With Car In Seattle KIROtv.com SEATTLE -- A Sound Transit light-rail train and a vehicle collided Monday afternoon in Seattle. The car was T-boned in the intersection of Martin Luther ... and more »

Street-level light rail in Bellevue is front-runner in study Seattle Times, United States A street-level light-rail route across downtown Bellevue will be the front-runner in Sound Transit's environmental studies for the $2.7 billion East Link project, the agency's governing board decided today. By Mike Lindblom A street-level light-rail ...

Bumper to Bumper Some drivers see red over light rail's impact on ... Seattle Times, United States But Sound Transit, the agency overseeing light-rail service, has been taking the trains through paces, testing the system. That may be well and good. But Rick Hogan says light rail is already messing with traffic flow in South Seattle. ...

The Seattle P-I (click here), The Seattle Times (click here) and KING 5 report (click here) that a woman pedestrian was hit by a Sound Transit train on MLK Way. From the Times:

“A woman sustained facial injuries Friday afternoon when she ran into the side of a light rail train in testing service on tracks along Martin Luther King Jr. Way South at South Othello Street in South Seattle.

Sound Transit spokesman Geoff Patrick said the woman, on foot, was running in a crosswalk at the intersection when she ran into the side of the moving northbound train, which had a green light at the intersection, about 4:18 p.m.”

So far, during testing, Sound Transit has had a :

1. Train vs. car-turning-left accident, and a

2. Train vs. pedestrian accident.

KING 5 interviewed kids on the street and their video showed one young man crossing the tracks without watching where the train was.

What will happen when regular operation begins?

Unfortunately, this will likely not be the end of the accidents. Read our previous posts on this safety issue  HERE and   HERE.

A 60-year-old woman suffered minor injuries yesterday when she was struck by a light rail train shortly after 4pm on Martin Luther King Jr. Way South and South Othello Street. It was a little more than a week after the first accident involving a light rail train, in which a driver heading northbound on Martin Luther [...]

Woman sustains injury in light rail accident Seattle Times, United States Sound Transit's Link light rail trains are in testing in preparation for the start of public service in July. Last week, A light rail train and a car collided shortly after 5 pm Wednesday at Martin Luther King Jr. Way South and South Dawson Street. ...

Light rail train hits pedestrian KING5.com, WA After that incident, Sound Transit issued a warning to the public that light rail testing is expanding. Drivers and pedestrians in the Rainier Valley are warned to watch out for new signals and signage. Light rail will open to the public for free rides ...

Woman struck by light rail in South Seattle Seattle Post Intelligencer A 60-year-old woman was injured Friday when she was struck by a Sound Transit light rail train on Martin Luther King Jr. Way South and Othello Street. The Seattle Fire Department reports that the woman suffered minor injuries. ...

Well, Sound Transit’s light rail has had the first accident on MLK Way South. See KOMO News link (click here):

“The accident happened despite a safety education campaign – one that not all drivers seem to be getting. Trains and cars are now rubbing elbows along the light rail route, as Sound Transit launches intensive testing in preparation for its July grand opening. But there are no special barriers in place – just no-turn signs – which didn’t work to stop Sound Transit’s first accident. Neighbors say the crossings are dangerous. “I’ve seen people taking chances. It’s pretty scary,” said one local resident. There are no crossing arms at the 29 intersections where Sound Transit goes street level through Rainier Valley. Instead, drivers get bells, whistles and warning lights.

Two to three years ago, Wa. State Representative Fred Jarrett told us that at-grade alignments, such as the one in MLK Way South, would be a cause of  fatal accidents. He said that Sound Transit had estimated a specific number of deaths for the MLK Way at-grade alignment.

Aerial alignments are ugly and more expensive, as well as noisier, but they eliminate the concern regarding pedestrian deaths, and they allow the train to travel at higher speeds.

I wonder how long it will be before a pedestrian gets hit. See John Niles’ comment at the Seattle Times (click here for link):

 ”Central Link’s Environmental Impact Statement of 1999 forecast a collision of some sort every 12 days when the train is in full operation, based on experience in other cities during the 1990s. Let this one be a warning: Look carefully in your mirrors for what’s coming up BEHIND you before making left turns across those tracks!”

Just another good reason for a tunnel in Downtown Bellevue, with a high number of expected pedestrians projected in the next few years.