NEW TECHNOLOGIES FOR IMPROVING LIGHT-RAIL GRADE CROSSING SAFETY

Light-rail transit (LRT) systems have become popular throughout the world because of their ability to operate both on and off city streets, with large capacity for transporting passengers and frequent stops in urban areas. However, operation of LRT systems in shared right-of-way presents an opportunity for collisions. Many safety problems are the result of failure of motorists and pedestrians to obey or accurately understand warning devices and traffic controls. New technologies, such as those of intelligent transportation systems (ITS), are being applied to improve safety at railroad grade crossings in Los Angeles County on the Metro Blue Line (MBL), a 22-mi (35-km) light-rail line. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has demonstrated that photographic enforcement can assist in reducing the number of traffic accidents. For MBL grade crossings, camera equipment is activated by vehicles running under or around crossing gates or making left turns against red-turn arrows. On a 7-month demonstration project in the city of Compton, the number of violations recorded by the equipment dropped off dramatically from one violation per hour to one violation every 12 hr. In downtown Los Angeles, where motorists make left turns on red-arrow signals in front of the train, a demonstration project using photographic enforcement has resulted in a 34% reduction in violations. Another ITS technology being used on the MBL is the AUTOSCOPE video detection system. This system is being used to detect vehicles making illegal left turns across the MBL tracks, which triggers the photographic enforcement camera to take pictures of violators. New technologies are being incorporated for two other safety improvement projects. A four-quadrant or full-closure crossing gate system will be installed at one MBL grade crossing. A wayside horn system was tested that allows an approaching train to sound a horn at the grade crossing for motorists and pedestrians using the crossing. The horn equipment is activated by the train operator. The MTA successfully sponsored the Rail Transit Safety Act, a California-wide bill that imposes additional fines and points on persons who violate rail grade crossing safety laws. The legislation also allows a judge to order a grade crossing violator to attend traffic school and view a film on rail transit safety. In addition, it requires the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to include more information on rail transit safety in its handbooks and other publications. The MTA supported the Rail Transit Safety Enforcement Act, another California-wide bill, which clarifies the use of photographic enforcement for grade crossing violations and places a DMV hold on violators who do not pay grade crossing citation fines.