Discussion - Car hits bus in busway, driver dies in hospital

[ozbob]

612 ABC Brisbane --> Car hits bus in busway, driver dies in hospital

Car hits bus in busway, driver dies in hospital

11 August 2010 , 8:32 AM by Spencer Howson

As you've heard in ABC News, a twenty-something woman was killed last night after driving into the southeast busway and hitting a bus head-on.

Police say the woman made a wrong turn about eight thirty last night. She hit the bus, carrying 25 passengers. No one on the bus was injured. The car driver died on arrival at hospital.

As we heard from Susan Hetherington just before the news, Susan's mum drove into a busway and survived.

On Twitter, Bec says: "I've seen lots of cars on the bus way. Usually rental cars or other states' number plates".

We asked for the Main Roads minister Craig Wallace or the Transport Minister Rachel Nolan. They've asked us to speak with Translink's Andrew Berkman. First here's our overnight cameraman/reprter Eddie Norbido:

I sent this email to 612 as feedback:

Busways

Rental cars:  information/warning on busways distributed with each hire.

Flashing warning signs on busway exits/entrances BUS ONLY

Step up driver education.  Driving into busways and hitting bridges indicates a growing lack of attention in some circumstances.

Some drivers have been observed driving deliberately onto busways.  Incredible but true, fine coming.  As Andrew said, excellent CCTV coverage.

Any suggestions folks?

[#Metro]

This is a truly tragic incident.

Busways look like roads, I think that is one reason why.

1. Large, thick red line painted on the road at all busway entrances and exits interconnecting with roads.

TransLink oversees the busway. Interesting.

[somebody]

Tempted to be callous, but I have noticed a lot of locations in Brisbane where "No Entry" signs are not facing the traffic, but face out from the kerb as though they are trying to be seen by a pedestrian on the other side of the road.

[ozbob]

Thanks, constructive suggestions and comments.   

[Mozz]

I don't know the hows, whys or whats of this incident but I do know that both cars and buses are fitted with brakes and there are extensive CCTV cameras located in the busways and that there are communication devices which allow communication between buses and control room and probably other buses.

From a traffic accident investigation perspective I would be interested to see what the outcome is.

I would have thought that as soon as a vehicle is detected on the busway (or at least critical parts), then as a "zero harm" policy all buses should stop until the situation is made safe.

Of course additional measures to warn/prevent vehicles using busways should also be employed.

[#Metro]

A section on Busway in the QLD Drivers Licence Learner handbook would not go astray.
It might already be there but:

1. There should be a section on level crossings and low rail bridges complete with emergency contact numbers for QR etc.
2. There should be a section on busways, telling people that travel on them is banned even though they look like roads. And what to do to safely exit one if they are caught on one (I have seen this many, many times). Again, with the emergency number.

People can then leave the book in their glove-box.

Adelaide's busway system has a sump buster installed. It rips out the sump of the car if a car enters the busway. It works because the height of a car from the road is different to that of a bus. I don't think it would work in Brisbane though, as the TL roving safety officers also drive in cars and so do the maintainence/cleaning crews.

Interesting, some overseas places DO allow cars on the busway. This is an old 1960s/70s image from the Shirley Busway in the US, which was downgraded to a HOV/Freeway system. The cars are those which have high occupancy.



http://www.lightrailnow.org/images/wdcbw01.jpg

[somebody]

I would have thought that as soon as a vehicle is detected on the busway (or at least critical parts), then as a "zero harm" policy all buses should stop until the situation is made safe.

I think this would be going too far.  Even if a car does enter the busway, they should be able to drive on the left hand side of the road.  So far my sympathy in this incident is low.

[O_128]

I would have thought that as soon as a vehicle is detected on the busway (or at least critical parts), then as a "zero harm" policy all buses should stop until the situation is made safe.

I think this would be going too far.  Even if a car does enter the busway, they should be able to drive on the left hand side of the road.  So far my sympathy in this incident is low.

I agree how did this happen, even if someone is driving on the busway it doesnt explain why they are on the wrong side.

[Golliwog]

Perhaps the busway entrances could have the road painted red like buslanes? Although I have a feeling this incident may be caused partly by the rain last night reducing visibility so she may have thought she was on the freeway, which could explain why she was on the wrong side of the road.

[somebody]

Perhaps the busway entrances could have the road painted red like buslanes? Although I have a feeling this incident may be caused partly by the rain last night reducing visibility so she may have thought she was on the freeway, which could explain why she was on the wrong side of the road.

That's my thinking too: that she thought it was two lanes in the same direction.  Most likely she had come from the Captain Cook Bridge and gotten in the wrong exit road.  Still, you would think that the traffic lights at the Woolloongabba intersection and the double solid line (IIRC) could have been a tip that it wasn't one carriageway of a dual carriageway.

[Otto]

Keep in mind, the rain was at it worst when this happened.. Line markings are very difficult to see in this situation.. As a bus driver, I know the lines very well. A motorist who had never been on the busway previously, would easily have become disorientated given the weather conditions at the time.

[Jonno]

Boom gates that are triggered by bus approaching so it does not have to stop?

[#Metro]

I don't think boom gates will work.
Remember there is a bus every 18 seconds or something off the planet during peak hour.
You can't have a boom gate doing that constantly.

I agree that the slip lane that comes off the Captain Cook Bridge and then into IIRC Stanley Street at Woolloongabba is confusing.
If you take the outer curve, you will get on to Stanley St. If you take the inner curve, you will exit on to the busway.
It also could look like an intersection and on ramp to the freeway.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Brisbane,+Queensland,+Australia&sll=37.764133,-122.487044&sspn=0.020559,0.049524&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Brisbane+Queensland,+Australia&ll=-27.484965,153.032113&spn=0.001442,0.004117&t=h&z=19

[somebody]

Keep in mind, the rain was at it worst when this happened.. Line markings are very difficult to see in this situation.. As a bus driver, I know the lines very well. A motorist who had never been on the busway previously, would easily have become disorientated given the weather conditions at the time.

Yes, Ok.  But that still doesn't really explain how she didn't think something was wierd about having traffic lights on what she (apparently) thought was a dual carriageway.  People make mistakes, I guess.  The issue is that this person has made a number of mistakes with fatal consequences.  I find it quite hard to blame the road authorities in this instance, and calls for extra measures?  I'm not completely sure what the signage is like at the Vulture St/Busway branch of the exit, but there "BUS ONLY" painted on the road.  So long as there are one or two signs as well, I don't see the problem.

[Jonno]

We are really only talking about entrances that are not part of the main busway route so the frequency quoted don't really apply.  It is unlikely that someone is going to turn down the main entrances but some of the smaller ones it us possible as they just look like a normal intersection.

[#Metro]

In the morning, hundreds of buses (mostly rockets) exit the busway and travel on to the Riverside Expressway. There is one every 18 seconds or something like that.

If we assume that a similar number of buses must make the return journey in the afternoon, that means that hundreds of buses must also be using that slip lane which branches off the Stanley Street exit, with a similar frequency.

It's a difficult problem. If the roving Translink safety patrol and maintainence crew do not use the slip lane, and Brisbane buses are different enough in height, then an Adelaide style sump-buster can be installed here.

If a car were then to drive down this ramp, its sump would be ripped out, disabling the vehicle.
It will cause mayhem on the expressway, and probably a huge traffic jam, but I think a life could be saved at an intersection where it is easier than others to make a mistake.

[#Metro]

Sump buster


Here is a YouTube video of Adelaide's O-bahn busway


0:55 Bus enters bus portal
0:51 Note the flashing lights either side of the entrance, no entry sign, and giant BUS ONLY sign.
1:01 Busway guidewheel makes contact with the guideway
1:08 Bus is about to pass over the sump buster- the strange looking square box thing in the middle of the busway.

There are also bus traps as well (a mis-nomer, should be called car-traps):

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/Bussluse_05-04-06_01.jpg

[Mozz]

It is getting curiouser and curiouser:

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/woman-drove-2km-through-busway-before-death-20100811-11zdu.html

Apparently CCTV has the woman driving over 2km on the busway before hitting the bus depending on her speed this may have been between 3 and 6 minutes.

If there is realtime monitoring of CCTV it may have been appropriate for bus control to alert or stop all buses in the area.

[ozbob]

This thread at ATDB may be of interest -- > People who drive in busways  

[#Metro]

OMG!  Some GPS units are directing people to drive on the busway!
http://www.busaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=49696#p572214

Yes , My Cheap gps Unit if you select eight mile Plains Busway , It Says

    Turn Left and Continue on South east Busway

[ozbob]

Poll at Brisbanetimes click --> here!

Most folks seem to think signs adequate ...

I would like to see illuminated signs BUS ONLY at all exit/entry points that would be clear in all weather conditions.

[Mozz]

This thread and associated links, suggest that cars regularly find their way onto the busway for a variety of reasons e.g. unfamiliar with the roads, gps instructions etc.

However I am concerned how a vehicle made it's way onto a busway, under the watch of extensive CCTV cameras, and passing buses and yet, the end result being a serious head on collision (in which it appears the bus was not stationary but in motion) resulting in the death of a person, and a bus driver and 25 or so passengers significantly impacted.

It appears, based on the information thus far in the media, that more could have been done to prevent this tragic situation but for reasons not yet available, it wasn't.

[ozbob]

There does seem be to be a number of unknowns.  It does seem unlikely that driving in the wrong lane on the busway for 2 km would not be noticed.  But not all the cameras are actively monitored at the same time, there would be need to be a report to cause certain cameras to be actively viewed other than just random viewing. It is possible that a bus would not pass for a minute or two, and depending on the speed of the vehicle, 2 km could be covered reasonably quickly, and not encounter a bus until the crash.

Hopefully there will be a report in time.

[ozbob]

Twitter

QPS Media Unit  
 
Appeal for witnesses - fatal crash busway at Woolloongabba  http://fb.me/FMnbyvdi

Appeal for witnesses - fatal crash busway at Woolloongabba
by Queensland Police Service on Wednesday, August 11, 2010 at 5:16am

Police are appealing for anyone who witnessed a traffic crash on Tuesday night to contact investigators.

Initial investigations reveal that around 8.3opm on August 10, a small black hatchback was driving south in the South East Busway and collided head on with a bus about 500m north of the Buranda Bus Station.

The 39–year-old Eagleby woman who was driving the car died from her injuries.

There were around 25 passengers on board the bus at the time but it isbelieved no one was seriously injured. The passengers were transferred toanother bus and taken away from the scene.

Police would like to appeal for people onboard the bus or anyone else who witnessed the crash to contact Police Forensic Crash Unit at Boondall on 33643311.

Anyone with informationwhich could assist police with their investigations should contact CrimeStoppers anonymously via 1800 333 000 or crimestoppers.com.au 24hrs a day.Crime Stoppers is a charitable community volunteer organisation working inpartnership with the QueenslandPolice Service.

[ozbob]

This incident is now the subject of an investigation.  Best to wait for the investigation's findings before any more comment.