Rail Transit Passenger Safety: Safe Transport for All: Best practices for addressing inappropriate passenger behaviours

Transcription

1 Rail Transit Passenger Safety: Safe Transport for All: Best practices for addressing inappropriate passenger behaviours Katharine Hunter-Zaworski, Ph.D., P.E.(OR) Associate Professor November 2, 2017 COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING School of Civil and Construction Engineering

2 Outline Framework for Inclusive Passenger Rail Passenger Behaviour Stations Agency-Safety Culture

3 Framework for Inclusive Passenger Rail Rail transit systems that accommodate all rail passengers: 2 and 102 year olds people with limited mobility, sensory and cognitive challenges inclusion is fully integrated into system you don t notice it, but it is safe, seamless and dignified for all

4 PASSENGER BEHAVIOURS 1. Distraction 2. Intoxication 3. Intentional Trespass 4. Public Outreach 5. Crowd Management

5 1.Distracted Passengers Smart phone Small children Luggage Other noise, crowding {mitigations- public outreach and education} Lamar Ledger Lamar Ledger

6 2. Intoxication (alcohol and drugs) Sporting events Additional transit service focus on crowd management New Years and Holidays Free service to reduce drunk driving [concern that extra transit service causes more intoxication]

7 3.Intentional Trespass (Suicide) Partner with crisis centers and others to develop suicide prevention programs for general public and transit staff [San Francisco and Toronto] Placards on station platforms for crisis line call numbers Situational awareness for public and staff to notice people in distress Vancouver BC (Transit Police)

8 Suicide Prevention Los Angeles METRO Many other system have similar programs

9 Toronto-Toronto Transit Commission ( TTC) A leader in suicide prevention. Crisis Link is a unique poster/payphone program designed to encourage anyone contemplating suicide to use a free direct-dial button on the payphone at platform level, connecting callers with a trained counsellor at the Distress Centres of Toronto. Distress Centres staff contact the TTC s Transit Control to implement the appropriate measures to ensure the individual remains safe. Since Crisis Link was implemented, there have been no suicide incidents directly following a Crisis Link call. [ ink.jsp]

10 Success of Suicide Prevention Programs Difficult to measure in a rigorous manner BUT All cities that have implemented station placards have seen an increase in number of calls to Crisis Centers

11 4. Public Outreach Programs New York MTA Think Safety and Take Precautions See Someone at Risk? Get Help. Alert a police officer, train or station personnel. Or, if available, use a station Customer Assistance Intercom. Be Safe. Be Smart. Get Help. Subway Car Safety Holding car doors open is dangerous. Don t even think about subway surfing (riding outside the train). Never ride, board, or walk between cars. Watch the gap between the train and platform. Keep clothing and personal effects clear of closing doors. Don t lean on doors. Hold on to a pole or handrail when you stand and the train is moving. Only pull the emergency cord if someone or something (e.g., a baby stroller) is caught between subway doors and the train must be stopped.

12 Operation Lifesaver ( OLI) Engineering, Education and Enforcement Programs for light rail and commuter train safety Many US Rail Transit systems partnered with OLI and produced Public Service Announcements Mixed media, posters, brochures, video, and education materials that are taken to schools and community events

13 Dumb Ways to Die- Melbourne Australia Award winning video{200 million downloads} Other materials such as a game have resulted from the initial video According to Metro Trains: the campaign contributed to a more than 30% reduction in "near-miss" accidents, from near-misses per million kilometres in November 2011 January 2012, to 9.17 nearmisses per million kilometres in November 2012 January [

14 5. Crowd Management Special events or everyday Example: SEPTA (Philadelphia and Papal Visit) Strategy: Restrict the number of stations that remain open :speed up service and move people faster Sold special fare cards: station specific and time groups (sort of a reservation system) At stations: staging zones for designated time slot and boarding on FCFS basis

15 Crowd Management-Regular or Recurring Build extra tracks-bypass tracks have added benefits Stadium stations extra track for post event crowds (Vancouver BC and Seattle) Manage crowd at street level, and restrict number of passengers who may enter station and access the platform Resources: TCRP Report 86, FHWA and FEMA

16 Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), San Jose, CA - Levi Stadium VTA conducted a Baseline Assessment for Security Enhancement (BASE) in collaboration with TSA. Contributed to VTA successful crowd management for safely and securely managing to transport spectators to events at Levi s Stadium which included Super Bowl 50.

17 Stations 1. Stairs and Escalators 2. Platforms A. Lighting B. Intrusion Detection C. Intrusion Prevention D. Between Vehicle Intrusion

18 1. Stairs and Escalators Major source of passenger injuries in stations More common than platform gap injuries Number and aggregate percentages for transit systems B, C, D, and E ( TCRP A- 40 Study) Transit System B Transit System C Transit System D Transit System E Incident Type No. (%) of Total No. (%)of Total No. (%)of Total No. (%)of Total Closed in Door 31 (4%) 19 (20%) 9 (3.7%) 69 (25%) Slipped and Fell 275 (33%) 14 (14%) 58 (23.8%) 107 (39%) Gap/Platform interfaces. 73 (8%) 5 (5%) 9 (3.7%) 42 (15%) Intoxication 32 (4%) 4 (4%) 4 (1.6%) 5 (2%) Injuredby Escalator/Stairs 352 (41%) 52 (54%) 159 (65.2%) 10 (4%) Attempted or Successful Suicide 2 (0.2%) 3 (3%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) Involved Wheelchair 7 (0.8%) 0 (0%) 3 (1.2%) 10 (4%) Struck by Train 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 2 (0.8%) 7 (3%) Fell into Guideway/Right-of- Way 79 (9%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 22 (8%) Total 852 (100%) 97 (100%) 244 (100%) 272 (100%)

19 2.Platforms Platform Gap Curved platforms create gap Straight platforms- vertical and horizontal gap mitigation Surface condition-maintenance Lighting Weather

20 A. Lighting Ambient and Artificial Important for safety and security (platform level and outside of stations) New opportunities with low power/high efficiency technologies GLARE

21 Overhead Platform edge lighting MTA Atlantic Terminal, LIRR Continuous Overhead Lighting Note: curved platform and extra rubbing boards at edge of platform New World Trade Station: high glare on marble floor, set back from platform edge

22 Platform Edge WMATA New LED light retrofit: each lamp contains 34 LED bulbs lower power all new lamps are red

23 B. Intrusion Detection Platform/Guideway Intrusion Detection Systems Guideway intrusion causes emergency stop (detectors in or on track) Optical Sensors in guideway (also trigger emergency stop) [reference TCRP Report 86]

24 Intrusion Detection Key challenge is level and reliability of sensitivity Different technologies under investigation and deployment CCTV with advanced analytics

25 Guideway Intrusion Detection CCTV with Advanced Video Analytics Software 24 GHz RF Curtain Thermal Imaging Laser Detection

26 Japanese System Kyobashi train station in Osaka Japan, 46 cameras that are specially designed to detect when a person is drunk have been installed to scan for signs of intoxication and alert station attendants when necessary. Behaviors that are recognized by this system and trigger a response include staggering and falling asleep on benches Reference: Japanese railway station installs cameras to detect drunken passengers,

27 C. Intrusion Prevention-Platform Edge Doors Require vehicle door to be located in same location problem for many legacy systems with different vehicle lengths and train configurations May improve boarding and egress efficiency

28 Platform edge doors Three types half height, partial and full Full height doors assist with climate and noise control New construction Step towards system automation Not fool proof Entrapment accidents reported

29 D. Between Vehicle Intrusion systems Vehicles based barriers New York Subway: Design dates back to 1914 Toronto TTC WMATA two styles of between car barriers ( Ken Shiotani)

30 Platform based bollard system - LACMTA Need predictable stopping point for train, and common vehicle length

31 Agency New Jersey Customer Service Ambassador Safety Culture Staff Training Railroad Culture of Safety Ambassadors LIRR Customer Service Ambassador

32 Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), Atlanta, GA MARTA improved employee and contractor safety on the right of way, and the agency produced an enhanced version of the Wayside Access Procedure manual/standard Operation Procedures. Since 2001, MARTA has not had any employee or contractor fatalities on the right of way. FTA sponsored demonstration of innovative system to reduce the hazards of working in the track environment. [ 6.pdf]

33 Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro), Los Angeles, CA Transit Homeless Action Plan A guide to improve safety for passengers and employees and coordinated outreach and engagement efforts towards the homeless. LA Metro established a 24 hour, 7 day a week hotline that aligned with the Peace Over Violence program created by the LA Sheriff s Department and a non-profit.

34 Metro Transit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN Stay Aware, stay safe A public outreach and engineering program to enhance pedestrian safety around its light rail lines. Included billboards, on-board and platform advertisements, social media advertisements that collectively reached more than 2 million people. Flashing train headlights and new cautionary signals at grade crossings were also implemented. The number of pedestrian collisions was cut in half in the year following the combined efforts, and operators reported significantly less use of the emergency brake.

35 Summary Design systems for inclusion Not all solutions are technical-public education and outreach Manage human behaviours: distraction, intoxication and trespass Value of a face! Station Ambassadors