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Welcome to Brighton, and remember: The trolley always wins
By adamg on Sat, 08/31/2013 - 6:52pm
Service along the B line got messed up around 6:45 p.m. when a car and a trolley collided at Comm. Ave. and Wallingford. Car lost, one person inside suffered some minor cuts. None of the roughly 25 people on the trolley at the time were injured.
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Comments
Out of state
Not surprisingly, the car had Illinois plates. Just drove past this on the way home.
also note that the trolly usually runs reds
If I had a dollar for every time I've seen the green line drivers run the red light at the BU bridge or any of a dozen other intersections, I'd be rich.
Red Lights
Yeah, the trolly runs the reds frequently there but *every* light cycle features a few cars doing the same thing. (Yes, it is considered running a red when you keep going after the light turns from yellow to red.) It's not like that is uncommon in this town but given the size of the intersection it can be scary.
I wish they would put up a red light camera there and ticket everyone who runs it. They can give the money to charity or earmark it for roadway improvements -- I'd just like to see people stop when the light is red.
Trolleys
It seems wrong that a train that could have hundreds of people needs to stop for a row of cars that represent a fraction of that. The signals should be triggered such that if a trolly is within two blocks of the intersection, it stays green for the train. If a trolly is waiting the light should cycle though faster.
Oddities of MA law
As BostonDog said, it's easy to find Boston drivers running red lights (just open your eyes), which is technically an illegal act. However, in a quirk of MA law, the rules of the road do not apply to trolleys or street railway vehicles unless explicitly specified. So it is not illegal for a street railway vehicle to "run" the red light. On the other hand, trackless trolleys are explicitly specified and identified by Ch89 Sec9, so those type of vehicles are subject to that rule.
The law doesn't really matter.
If you see this happen, or even better if you can get a video of it, sent it to theMBTA and things can happen on that end.
Good to know
And to whom do we send videos of car drivers running red lights?
The registry
Or depends on where you live and how reliable you are. Post them online with a clear view of the registration and you might see some action.
Red light videos for cars are tough though becaus of the angle/physics factor. (For propel sending in videos)
Intriguing
Maybe I shall test your theory when I am bored one day.
But in the meantime, may I have permission to quote you out of context at some indeterminate point in the future?
:)
Sure!
Losing your job is much worse than getting a $100 ticket.
Where to send images of cyclists running red?
"Yes, sir, We'll get right on it...."
Green line drivers running red street lights are just trying to appease all the whingers on UHub who complain about the slow service!
I live within earshot of this
I live within earshot of this intersection and and can easily hear the T. I've heard them have to blow their horn at least 5 separate times today. (make that 6) When its usually a fairly rare occurrence. I bet someone else will end up crunched by the T by the end of today.