New figures show worst spots for tram crashes in Melbourne

The most dangerous Melbourne street for tram crashes has been revealed, with the number of car and tram collisions on the rise. And drivers are being urged to ‘think tram’ with stats showing motorists are almost always at fault.

A ute rolled after hitting a tram stop at Toorak Road in Kooyong. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Collins St has become Melbourne’s worst spot for tram collisions, with 77 crashes recorded on the busy thoroughfare last year.

New figures released by the Andrews Government and Yarra Trams show that five of the worst spots for crashes between cars and trams were in Melbourne’s CBD.

The most dangerous location outside the city was on St Kilda Rd.

In total, there were more than 1100 collisions across the entire tram network in 2018 compared to 970 in 2017.

The majority of these crashes, about 97 per cent, were found to be the fault of motorists and resulted in 20 people becoming seriously injured.

Public Transport Minister Melissa Horne said it was important for motorists to be careful in busy areas now that more trams were on Melbourne’s roads.

“Trams don’t have the ability to swerve out of the way of danger, motorists and pedestrians play an important part in helping to reduce collisions with trams,” she said.

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At any time there are 10 trams out of service on the network because of a collision.

“We encourage all motorists to ‘think tram’ when driving along shared roads, and always check before merging or turning right over tram tracks,” Yarra Trams chief executive Nicolas Grindt said.

This week is Rail Safety Week, with authorities banding together to raise awareness about safety around rail networks for pedestrians and motorists.

TRAM CRASH HOT SPOTS

Collins St — 77

St Kilda Rd — 52

Flinders St — 42

Elizabeth St 42

Nicholson St — 40

Bourke St 37

Toorak Rd — 34

Bridge Rd- 34

La Trobe St — 28

Clarendon St — 28

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