No worry on safety

12:05pm Wednesday 2nd May 2001

Does Mrs Lorna Clare (Tram Rails are a safety worry' - Croydon Guardian dated April 12 2001) have an automatic drivel-generator attached to her typewriter?

I would hate to think that she actually spends time on her many and various anti-Tramlink effusions.

As a resident of the area, who drives a motor car along the Addiscombe Road, occasionally rides a bicycle along it and who takes a tram every day from the Lebanon Road stop I can say that the road is perfectly safe if one follows the road markings and drives with due care and attention.

Following the markings means that a motor car has one set of wheels in the four feet of road between the rails and the other outside them i.e. they are on normal road surfacing for much of the length of the road.

The knack of crossing the tram rails safely is easy to acquire for anyone of reasonable intelligence I managed it first time and my observations of cyclists passing Lebanon Road stop and crossing the rails shows that none of them seem to have any difficulty.

Mrs Clare is entirely wrong about the accident on December 1.

The road was icy and un-gritted (councils are no longer required to grit secondary roads) the driver was attempting to overtake, despite the road markings, and met an oncoming vehicle.

The choice was to hit the oncoming vehicle or a tree.

He wisely chose the tree.

The entire Tramlink system was inspected by the Health and SafetyExecutive before it was opened.

This is a requirement for a tramway, but not for any other road transport system. Tramlink was given a clean bill of health.

All accidents must be reported to the HSE who can investigate any they think contentious.

Mrs Clare should concentrate on things about which she has some knowledge and give Tramlink and the public a rest.

John Scott

Editor's Choice