LIGHT RAIL SAFETY EDUCATION

As urban and suburban areas across America grapple with gridlock and poor air quality, an increasing number of people are turning to rail. Depending on the definition of light rail, there are more than 40 rail operations are already running or in final testing across the United States, with another 50 in various stages of proposal, design, or planning. The difficulty in defining rail illustrates the greatest challenge to transportation policymakers seeking to educate the public about safety. Unlike bus or traditional rail service (Amtrak, commuter lines, and freight railroads), rail programs vary enormously from city to city, in operation and in infrastructure. Some have dedicated lanes while others share street corridors; some equipment looks like long-distance passenger trains, some like early-20th century streetcars, and some like buses on steel wheels; some rail trains operate in the center median, some at curbside, and some completely off-street. Moreover, because rail cars are quieter, bidirectional, more frequent, and often operate right on city streets, long-established safety programs for traditional rail are not always applicable to rail. And finally, since they are heavily locally funded and obviously cater to a very local clientele, rail programs must be finely tuned to local needs. While they vary widely, rail operations all do face a similar challenge. People who are unfamiliar with operations need to understand how to walk around, drive around, and take the train safely. This applies to people who live in the area as well as visitors, and compels the conclusion that everyone would benefit from a safety program that is easily recognizable across the country, but at the same time reflects local operations. The program outlined in this paper - developed by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (OLI) began by canvassing agencies across the country. The program then identified areas of common interest among rail properties, developed a character and set of messages unanimously accepted by the rail agency working group, and is currently in testing and evaluation phase. The program could provide a blueprint for future national education campaigns among widely divergent agencies and operations.