Different standards for buses and trams, some arbitrary

General Transport Discussion not specific to one state
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Myrtone
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Joined: Sat Apr 28, 2007 11:29 am

Different standards for buses and trams, some arbitrary

Post by Myrtone »

I have noticed there are different standards for buses and trams all because trams are rail vehicles and buses are road vehicles. Some are arbitrary.

Here are some examples:
  • Headlights - Trams and other rail vehicles often have headlights on at all times and these are often just as bright even on the brightest days as at night. Note that headlights are not daytime running lights. But this applies to trams as well as trains even in countries where daytime running lights are not required on even the newest road vehicles, nor no headlights need to be on in broad daylight.
  • Driver safety devices - Trams, along with other rail vehicles, have deadman's brakes* which require constant muscular effort while moving to keep off the emergency brake. Manually steered vehicles, even the largest trucks, don't have them. However, some guided buses, at least in Europe, have deadman's brakes that require such effort from the driver when in guided mode.
  • Tram drivers often need to meet stricter medical standards than bus and truck drivers, let alone other road vehicle drivers, especially in the non-professional segment.
  • In the U.K, passenger carrying rail vehicles, which trams are, are required by disability discrimination legislation to have colour contrasted doors but colour contrasting of bus doors is only permitted.
There may be many more.

Can anyone explain all these?

*A deadman's brake is not just any deadman's switch. Deadman's switches of manually steered vehicles only driven slowly, like ride-on movers, are right in the seat and are operated without any muscular effort, also these are not deadman's brake.
Myrtone
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Re: Different standards for buses and trams, some arbitrary

Post by Myrtone »

Can others here comprehend all this?
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jpp42
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Re: Different standards for buses and trams, some arbitrary

Post by jpp42 »

Myrtone wrote: Thu Aug 11, 2022 2:55 pm Can others here comprehend all this?
Yes, it was all perfectly comprehensible. The poster is referring to the fact that trams seem to have evolved more from rail vehicles rather than road vehicles in terms of safety appliances.
Myrtone
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Re: Different standards for buses and trams, some arbitrary

Post by Myrtone »

Yes but I am after an explanation for these differences and I did not get one after all this time. The headlights one really seems like a double standard, trams share the road with vehicles that are permitted, and often are, used during the day with headlights off.

Is it true that those with any rail vehicle driver qualification, even tram driver qualification, need to pass a more rigorous medical than even truck drivers?
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boronia
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Re: Different standards for buses and trams, some arbitrary

Post by boronia »

With most buses and other motor vehicles, it is fairly easy to see from a distance which way they are travelling.

Trains and trams tend to be the same at each end, so "headlights on" makes it easier to see which way one is travelling.

Research dating back to the 1960s showed vehicles with "headlights on" were less likely to be involved in approach accidents. Volvo introduced DRLs to its cars in the early 70s, but it is only in recent years that they have been widely adopted.
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Myrtone
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Re: Different standards for buses and trams, some arbitrary

Post by Myrtone »

boronia wrote: Sun Oct 23, 2022 5:07 pm With most buses and other motor vehicles, it is fairly easy to see from a distance which way they are travelling.
Same with some rail vehicles like the light rail vehicles in Hong Kong.
boronia wrote: Sun Oct 23, 2022 5:07 pmTrains and trams tend to be the same at each end, so "headlights on" makes it easier to see which way one is travelling.
Some locomotive and tram types are different at each end but this still applies even to those rail vehicles.
boronia wrote: Sun Oct 23, 2022 5:07 pmResearch dating back to the 1960s showed vehicles with "headlights on" were less likely to be involved in approach accidents. Volvo introduced DRLs to its cars in the early 70s, but it is only in recent years that they have been widely adopted.
Keep in mind that Volvo is a Swedish make and Sweden has less ambient light, especially in winter.

Another one is that buses had at least a drivers seat belt, rail vehicles of practically any kind have no seatbelts, not even for the driver, let alone airbags.
Myrtone
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Re: Different standards for buses and trams, some arbitrary

Post by Myrtone »

Okay, do we have different regulations in this country for heavy rail than for light classes of rail, such as trams and light rail? Some jurisdictions do have that.
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