The ACT's light rail network is well-designed and generally regarded as safe by Canberrans, a new report has found.
A new study from Monash University, funded by an ACT Road Safety grant, found residents of the capital had a high level of confidence in the light rail design, with enough signs, road markings and lightings to keep people safe.
Most respondents to the survey said they never saw the light rail being driven dangerously, and rarely saw cars and other vehicles travelling along the tracks or failing to give way to the tram.
Researchers concluded patterns of behaviour around the light rail network were generally positive and crashes relatively rare.
"The fact that across approximately four years of operation there was only 18 incidents shows that the light rail network offers a safe means of transportation in the ACT," the report said.
The safety campaigns around Canberra's light rail were also found to be well recognised by survey respondents.
Concerning behaviours around light rail
The report conducted online surveys with Canberrans and reviewed academic writing on the light rail to identify areas of concern along the network.
Between the commencement of light rail services in April 2019 and May 2023, there were 18 crashes involving light rail vehicles. Twelve involved motor vehicles, while six involved pedestrians or cyclists.
However, researchers noted some concerning behaviours around the light rail, including pedestrians crossing the tracks at undesignated locations and on red walk signals. Pedestrians looking down at a mobile phone or failing to notice a red crossing signal were more likely to cross the tracks unsafely.
A higher number of incidents happened in the year light rail services commenced, most accidents happening on Mondays and Tuesdays during business hours.
The majority of incidents involved motor vehicle drivers, many of whom failed to stop at a red traffic signal.
Cars and motor vehicles speeding around the rail network were also a concern to researchers, with additional enforcement efforts recommended as well as an "increased focus in educational and awareness campaigns".
The report noted the relatively small number of crashes since light rail services started made finding any patterns difficult.
Safety paramount as light rail expands
Changing these behaviours was noted as "particularly important" as the expansion of the light rail network continued and services and passenger numbers increased.
The report concluded results of the research highlighted areas where improvements could be made to create an even safer and user-friendly network, as part of the ACT's target of Vision Zero.
The results of the research were presented to stakeholders at Transport Canberra and City Services and Canberra Metro Operations.
