Buses and Railroad Crossings

July 25th, 2017
buses
A while ago I proposed that we not require buses to stop and open their doors at railroad crossings. This is something I had thought was universal in the US, but is actually state-specific. In MA this is a regulation issued by the Department of Public Utilities' Transportation Oversight Division:

The driver of a motor bus, upon approaching a highway-rail crossing at grade, shall bring the bus to a stop at a point clear of the railroad track, but not more than 50 feet or closer than 15 feet from the track. The driver shall open the door while the bus is stopped and determine whether the way is clear before crossing. Before proceeding, the driver shall close the door.
  — 220 CMR 155.02 (19) via 220 CMR: Department of Public Utilities

I think we should remove this restriction. At a distance of 15-50ft from the crossing, opening the door to look or listen for a train doesn't generally give additional information on whether a train is coming. Having to stop and open doors slows the buses down, which leads a small number of people to drive instead of taking the bus on the margin, and cars are much less safe than buses. Overall this regulation reduces safety.

(The same effect also increases traffic and pollution.)

What would be the right way to get this changed? The staff contact list indicates TransDivision.Complaints@state.ma.us is how to email them; maybe that woiuld be useful?

Comment via: google plus, facebook

Recent posts on blogs I like:

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy

Look! A therapy technique people don't already know!

via Thing of Things May 14, 2025

Workshop House case study

Lauren Hoffman interviewed me about Workshop House and wrote this post about a community I’m working on building in DC.

via Home April 30, 2025

Impact, agency, and taste

understand + work backwards from the root goal • don’t rely too much on permission or encouragement • make success inevitable • find your angle • think real hard • reflect on your thinking

via benkuhn.net April 19, 2025

more     (via openring)