The number of collisions between trams and cars in Greater Manchester increased by almost 50% last year, new figures reveal.
In response to a freedom of information request, Transport for Greater Manchester has revealed 52 collisions between a car and a tram occurred in 2022, an increase from 2021’s figure which was 35.
TfGM ran the ‘Be Tram Aware’ campaign earlier this year – urging motorists to be aware of trams when driving near Metrolink tracks.
Video footage was released as part of the campaign which showed drivers of cars pulling ahead of oncoming trams before the tram driver could react.
A total of 253 collisions between a tram and a car have happened in the past five years, dating back to 2018. In 2023 there have been 31 recorded so far.
2022 is the year with the most collisions so far – indicating an average of one crash every week.
Over the past five years, the Ashton tram line has experienced the highest number of collisions, totalling 91 incidents.
The Trafford Park and Altrincham lines have had the lowest amount of collisions, with one crash on the Altrincham tram line and two on the Trafford Park line in the last five years.
There are four Metrolink fare zones, with zone one covering stops in the city centre and zone four covering stops furthest away from the city centre – and zone three has experienced the most collisions in the last five years, totalling 106 incidents.
Collisions also cause a significant financial impact to both Metrolink and motorists.
Metrolink incurred repair costs of £1.4m between April and December 2022, most of which is being recovered through motorists’ insurance.
Danny Vaughan, TfGM’s Head of Metrolink, said: “It’s vitally important that motorists remain vigilant when driving close to the Metrolink network, particularly where the tracks run on or along roads.
“Our trams weigh 40 tonnes and have the potential to cause significant injury and damage if they are involved in a collision, so please take extra care when driving.
“In most cases, collisions on Metrolink are due to motorists not paying attention. We ran the ‘Be Tram Aware’ campaign for the second time earlier this year, including footage of tram crashes in Greater Manchester, to raise awareness of the issue.
“Our aim was to help drivers to become more ‘tram aware’ and help reduce the risk of crashes and additional consequences such as the disruption to our customers.”
Featured image: TfGM Gallery.
