What do you think of the Easy Access tram stop in Macarthur Street?

At least it’s fairly easy for cars to recognise its a tram stop and they can clearly see the tram. Too many times I have been, or have seen others, nearly run over by cars not stopping for trams at roadside tram stops. Toorak Road is particularly bad for this, I’ve seen pedestrians have to jump out of the way of a car that ploughed through them as they crossed to the tram outside South Yarra station, I was one of them!

I’ve always thought that tram stops should have traffic lights at each end, that go to red automatically while there’s a tram at the stop. Of course some drivers ignore pedestrian lights too (ever tried crossing St Kilda Rd outside the arts centre? it’s like those lights just don’t exist for some drivers) but I think it makes it a lot more likely they’ll stop than having to notice the tram and realise the doors are opening.

Riding my bike in that direction in late morning peak, arriving ahead of a tram, confronted by about 20 pax walking out in front of me before the tram was even in the stop.

Naturally I slowed down, avoided hitting anyone and suggested that they wait until the tram arrives next time.

A elderly ped died after being hit near there doing just that recently when they stepped out in front of a bike going down the hill (other direction to the video). The fact that the bike rider was legally in the right does not excuse bad road design.

Separation of different weight/speed is the only way to provide safety and this design doesn’t do that. Knowing that a tram is about to overtake you provides a big incentive to a vehicle to maintain speed through the stop to avoid having to wait (that’s human nature in our impatient world). The same human nature causes the pax to step out before the tram arrives (competition for the seats maybe?). These two behaviours are on a collision course.

There is already a pedestrian crossing with traffic lights at this location, if the stops in each direction were located at the exit of these lights, and the lights were controlled by the tram so as to go red behind the tram, then there would be much less danger to pedestrians. The lights could be held to green even when the demand button is pressed, if a tram is approaching, then go red as the tram crosses – allowing pax to get to the tram without holding it up. Now that would be “smart roads”.

I use this stop most days. I think the tram access points, currently painted with a big ‘keep clear’, would benefit from the red surface sometimes used for stops or special lanes. The Keep Clear isn’t well observed. It would also assist cyclists to realise the stop is there; I’ve seen a few nearly clean up pedestrians stepping out to the tram. Actually most tram stops would benefit from the red paint on the road.

While I agree with some of Nik’s sentiment, we also need to predict the behaviour of road users and sometimes slow down and share a bit. Tram stop users stepping out as the tram is gliding into the stop is an expected thing, so just stop and wait. It’s the city, not a bikeway.

I’ve had the odd car not stop as a tram opens its doors at this stop but that is expected at most ‘on road’ stops. Not sure how to fix that short of some sort of boom gate with spikes folding out the back of a tram as the doors open.

The level boarding is great – even as an able-bodied person I really appreciate it.

Jon, I think the ped lights are timed into if a tram is present – they seem to hold green longer if a tram is in the stop, then go red right after it’s departed. I haven’t timed it or anything though.

I’m glad Dave expressed the above. Human nature seems to me just a bad excuse for road users to abrogate responsibility for paying attention on the roads. When I say road users I also mean cyclists and pedestrians not just car drivers.

While it is the rule that pedestrians shouldn’t step onto the road unless a tram has stopped, surely drivers and cyclists know there will be pedestrians around a tram stop and if there’s a tram nearly at a stop they should be preparing to stop and give way in any case.

As a cyclist I slow down at tram stops if there’s a tram anywhere near because I’ve nearly been knocked over as I’ve stepped off the tram a few times. I’d feel pretty bad as a cyclist if my ‘human nature’ caused me to kill someone so I could get to work 30 seconds earlier.

Lights may not be a bad idea though and I do like the idea of tram stops (and bike lanes) being somehow more clearly delineated.

I think St Andrews Place probably prevented the city bound platform from being before the lights.
The city bound stop is a bit further past the lights than it looks – the shelter is misleading and that too adds delay as people walk south from the shelter down to where the tram has actually stopped. Not sure why the shelter is so far back – maybe something to do with site rights /easements etc. It all means the city bound stop there is only about 100m from the Collins St / Spring stop, which seems inefficient. However, they do seem to serve different crowds – the city group, and those joining/leaving for parliament station. Also, the intersection is a pain to get across on foot – there’s no ped crossings on some sides – so the stop proximity is probably just one of those necessary evils.

The flat access is very neat. Very much like the model used in Adelaide when they extended and updated our toy tram a few years ago. Can’t say anything about the placement or road furniture but I can say that all the tram stops that share roads in the Adelaide CBD have been placed near/at intersections controlled by traffic lights. (Doesn’t stop passengers from jaywalking to and from the trams, but it gives motorists and cyclists reasonable warning of impending mayhem.)