Stand clear of the turning bus!
Pedestrians at city intersections will receive warnings when a bus is turning — from the bus itself — under a pilot program being developed by the MTA.
The pre-recorded safety messages will be played through speakers mounted on the exteriors of buses in the program, which is expected to be launched in the fall.
Another “collision avoidance” pilot in the works will use radar and sensors to detect — and then alert — bus drivers of pedestrians, bicyclists and motor vehicles in the immediate vicinity, including so-called “blind spots.”
“The MTA works hard to ensure its bus fleet operates safely on the streets of New York … and we will test new technologies next year to keep improving bus safety,” Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokesman Adam Lisberg said.
The MTA’s bus-collision rate has dropped 46% from 92 collisions per million miles traveled in 1988 to 50 per million miles last year, according to the MTA.
Still, 55 pedestrians and seven bicyclists were killed in collisions with buses, including those operated by private companies, since 2010, according to the city Transportation Department.
The MTA said it was too early to say how many buses will be outfitted with the “talking bus” technology for the pilot program.
Transit agencies in a handful of U.S. cities have either adopted or are testing it, including Los Angeles, Portland and Baltimore. The two leading providers are ProTran, based in Newtown, N.J., and Clever Devices, headquartered in Long Island.
In 2010, ProTran equipped the fleet operated by the greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority.
The authority was averaging six pedestrian fatalities a year before the “Safe Turn Alert” system was installed on 400 buses, according to a CRTA report. There haven’t been any fatalities since then, according to the report.
According to the company website, the system automatically adjusts the volume of the announcements.
The volume rises when the din of traffic is high but drops when the streets are quiet.
There have been 131 pedestrians killed in New York City in all types of traffic accidents this year. That’s the lowest number since 1910 when officials began keeping records.
“As part of the city’s Vision Zero initiative, we are working with our partners at the MTA and their bus operators to make our streets safer,” Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg said. “These new bus pilot programs will help save lives and we are pleased to continue to work with them on Vision Zero as we have done throughout this year.”
Gene Russianoff of the Straphangers Campaign was skeptical.
“Does this actually work?” he said. “I’m not from Cleveland. You’ll have to show me.”
