Expensive study not needed for railway safety
To the Editor,
Re: Railway needs safety scrutiny, Jan. 10.
We continue to read stories about the E&N accidents with vehicles and people who cross or walk the tracks.
There may be a simple and cheap answer to lessen the damages caused by these accidents.
Looking at the history of locomotives it is obvious that the problem of frequent collisions is nothing new.
The Electric Railway of Victoria’s past is a good example of how simple engineering can lessen the damages caused by collision.
A simple cowcatcher was fitted on the front of electric railway cars and steam locomotives. The idea was simple and worked fine at slow speeds.
It is questionable as to why we have not taken this old idea and reworked it.
The same old cowcatcher redesigned with technological advances such as hydraulics, airbags, water bags or maybe radar could be applied to a better invention. There is nothing proprietary about this idea.
I just don’t understand why we can’t solve an easy problem without doing the usual million dollar study.
Matt James
Nanaimo
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