New Findings on Risk Management from Monash University Summarized (Exploring road design factors influencing tram road safety – Melbourne tram driver…

New Findings on Risk Management from Monash University Summarized (Exploring road design factors influencing tram road safety - Melbourne tram driver focus groups)

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Weekly News -- Research findings on Risk Management are discussed in a new report. According to news reporting from Clayton, Australia, by VerticalNews journalists, research stated, "Melbourne, Australia has the largest tram/streetcar network in the world including the largest mixed traffic tram operating environment. Therefore, Melbourne tram drivers are responsible for controlling one of the heaviest vehicles on road ranging from shared tram lanes to exclusive tram lanes."

Financial support for this research came from Australian Research Council.

The news correspondents obtained a quote from the research from Monash University, "In addition to different tram lane configurations, tram drivers need to follow different traffic signal phases at intersections including tram priority signals as well as need to serve passengers at various types of closely spaced tram stops. Despite all these challenges, no research has explored tram driver perceptions of the risk factors on different tram route road design configurations. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate how tram drivers' safety perceptions alter along various tram route sections, signal settings and stop configurations. A tram driver focus group approach was adopted for this research involving thirty tram drivers (4 female and 26 male drivers). The tram drivers' age ranged from 29 to 63 years, with an average age of 47.6 years (standard deviation of 10.1 years), and their experience of tram driving ranged from 1.17 to 31 years, with an average experience of 12.5 years (standard deviation of 10.2 years). The participating tram drivers perceived that the raised tram tracks and tramways with raised yellow curbing beside tracks are safer lane priority features on the Melbourne tram network compared to full-time, part-time and mixed traffic tram lanes. They regarded 'hook turns' as a safe form of tram signal priority treatment at intersections and platform tram stops as the safest tram stop design for all passengers among all other tram stop designs in Melbourne."

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: "Findings of this research could enhance the understanding of crash risk factors for different tram route features and thus can offer effective planning strategies for transit agencies to improve tram road safety."

For more information on this research see: Exploring road design factors influencing tram road safety - Melbourne tram driver focus groups. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 2018;110():52-61. Accident Analysis and Prevention can be contacted at: Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd, The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1GB, England. (Elsevier - www.elsevier.com; Accident Analysis and Prevention - www.journals.elsevier.com/accident-analysis-and-prevention/)

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting F. Naznin, Monash University, Inst Transport Studies, Dept. of Civil Engn, Public Transport Res Grp, Clayton, Vic 3800, Australia. Additional authors for this research include G. Currie and D. Logan.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2017.10.017. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

Keywords for this news article include: Clayton, Australia, Australia and New Zealand, Risk Management, Risk and Prevention, Monash University.

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