City Transit warning the public after several crashes
Posted Nov 4, 2013 3:56 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
City transit is teaming up with police to issue a safety message to Calgarians.
Three crashes in the past four days have involved a vehicle hitting a CTrain; the most recent Monday morning at 7th Avenue and 3rd Street.
Police also responded to two different collisions Friday, hours apart, and both at the same intersection.
Sgt. Colin Foster says all three drivers are facing charges of running a red light, and they’re lucky there were no serious injuries.
“Trains don’t swerve out of your way. They take ages to stop compared to another vehicle. If you go through a red light you’re going to have a collision. End of story,” Foster said.
Calgary Transit Boss Doug Morgan finds it frustrating.
“We can’t explain it. We’ve looked at the crossings, they’re the same they’ve always been. It just seems to be inattentiveness by the drivers. We’re really concerned that this is a pattern we need to address,” Morgan said.
A lot of repairs are needed on all the CTrain cars involved, which puts pressure on transit’s budget.
It could cost up to $200,000 to fix the damage to each train.
Officials say they’re most concerned with keeping motorists and transit riders safe on Calgary streets.
