Supplemental - but Unlike all other UK tram systems Edinburgh's Tram system does not benefit from the objective scrutiny of the Rail Accident Investigation Branch, carrying out independent and objective investigations of tram system incidents, and providing the Rail Regulator (who (I'm advised by ORR) DOES regulate the Edinburgh Tram operations), with recommendations to require action from the operators and infrastructure providers to eliminate hazards entirely or manage the risks and mitigate the potential of serious incidents.
The reason that this situation arises is purely legislative. Holyrood has not processed the relevant legislative measures to apply this condition to tram systems in Scotland. I understand that this issue has been hanging around since at least November 2014, and possibly set in motion originally in January 2014.
An RAIB report on the 2 X38 bus service vs tram crashes in the same location at roughly the same time on a weekday, would have identified the fact that the bus drivers were basically following the route as designed, pulling over to the right to use the bus lane running directly over the tram rails from the junction with Morar Place. The traffic signal sequence at W Maitland Street (or more accurately a lack of any consistent sequence) can show green signals to road traffic for all 3 directions as well as giving 2 green signal periods for Atholl Place but no signal at all for Torphichen Street in that period. It can also give a green signal for both road vehicles and trams to head east along Atholl Place simultaneously with obvious results when a bus or taxi, following the road markings as directed pulls over to the right and into the side of a tram. Despite 2 identical crashes the potential for a repeat performance, still this situation of a green light for motor traffic and a simultaneous cleared signal for trams appears to exist.
I took as short video of the situation with a bus, a taxi, and a tram heading East on 31/12, and on later viewing noted the move by the taxi driver, obviously aware of the fickle nature of the system in delivering a right turn green light, driving in to Atholl Place, making a U turn, and then left into Torphichen Street. Fortunately doing this just before the tram rolled through.
Anyone want to ask their MSP what is happening about this?
It is also rather prescient that Carolyn Griffiths the Chief Officer of RAIB is delivering a talk to the Railway Division of IMechE in Glasgow next week. I expect a few engineers on this forum might be going along.
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