tram drivers (sorry one for melburnians)

[jules]

i saw this in the paper, apparently not the trammy's fault in this case although one witness said they often speed.

last night i was driving home and got into a drag race with tram driver who was determined to drive me into parked cars in the LH lane.

being in a car it was easy enough for me to safely pass him on the left, but i noticed he had his throttle pinned to the limit trying to run me off the road. the crazy thing is that as soon as i passed him and pulled in front, he hit the brakes to drop someone off. would it have hurt him to just let me past without driving like he was the lewis hamilton of the tram world?

i've been a passenger on trams and it's no fun when you're getting thrown off your feet. i say sacking the conductors was only half the job done

[Astranomical]

How is getting into a drag race with a motorist worth more than his job, and the safety and comfort of his passengers? Oh well, hopefully he'll get the boot.

[jules]

they do it all the time, i find the situation i described is the norm. no one seems to hold them accountable.

apparently they have data recorders and if you complain, as long as they weren't actually breaking the speed limit it's all good (welcome to victoria).

[Troy711]

would it have hurt him to just let me past without driving like he was the lewis hamilton of the tram world?

would it have hurt you to let him by and then over take as he was stopped?

[jules]

would it have hurt you to let him by and then over take as he was stopped?

no can do, parked cars along that road other than the gap i had.

i tried to be clear about the fact i wasn't engaging in dangerous driving. i got past him safely and easily. the point was, it was despite his best efforts.

i'm not a hoon. if i can't get by safely, i'll just wait.

[STEALTHY™]

So with that story? Who are we blaming? My finger is pointing right at the kid, followed by a shaking of the head for his mother.

This poor tram driver is probably going to be down on himself for a while now, because this kid couldn't think.

[minux]

Sounds like Boy racing tram failed...

[Cobez]

Tram racing........it's the new black.

[satos]

would it have hurt you to let him by and then over take as he was stopped?

It is illegal to overtake a stopped tram due to the safety of the passengers boarding and alighting.

[Troy711]

It is illegal to overtake a stopped tram due to the safety of the passengers boarding and alighting.

i am not aware of this cos ive never been to melbourne

[jules]

It is illegal to overtake a stopped tram due to the safety of the passengers boarding and alighting.

you can still overtake when the passengers have finished getting off and the lights go out but not if the LH lane is blocked by parked cars.

[CSP]

i am not aware of this cos ive never been to melbourne

Yeah - tis true...

A lot of tram stops are marked on the curb, same as a bus stop, but the tram actually stops out in the middle of the road. When it does, the whole road to the left of it is considered the tram stop and all cars must stop. Totally against the law to pass a stopped tram on the left.

Of course the exception is when they have dedicated pedestrian stops in the middle of the road.

Then there's the whole hook turn issue. It is actually the safest way of turning right when you think about it...

[crazyspoon05]

It is illegal to overtake a stopped tram due to the safety of the passengers boarding and alighting.

Still amazes me how many idiots in Victoria don't know this, today I had an idiot honking and abusing me because I stopped beside the tram as the people hopped off, the tram driver then kept the lights on and doors open a little longer than he should have and the clown behind me nearly ran up my backside, couldn't help but laugh loudly at his stupidity