With recent discussions about Driverless Trams in street running, this is a letter as penned to the LRTA monthly “Tramways and Urban Transit”. The Editor made some minor changes, and this was forwarded to me for final checking. He was holding it over until an upcoming news story about driverless technology testing in Moscow was published. I could have added that tram drivers have to use ‘Controlled Aggression’.

Regards,

"The increasing interest in investigating autonomous and driverless trams is something that is sure to attract the attention of many readers. I think it should be progressed, however as a former Melbourne driver, I am particularly interested in how the concept will deal with people on the track.
Programming trams to stop before hitting anyone should be simple enough as this technology is already applied to other road vehicles. I just wonder how it would handle some scenarios which confronted me, daily on the Route 96 ‘Light Rail’ between St Kilda Beach and East Brunswick?
In the city it runs through the Bourke Street Mall where people may wander anywhere they like. Besides distracted pedestrians, buskers ply their trade at lunchtime each day; the more successful ones draw a good audience which can extend over the tramlines. What would the driverless tram do in such a situation – sit there until the crowd disperses after the busker has finished?
On two night-time occasions, I had a large mob totally blocking the street, including the tram tracks. The first was on Swanson Street, just north of the city centre and outside the university where students from that establishment formed the crowd. The second was the Bourke Street Mall, approaching Midnight one New Years’ Eve. How long would a driverless tram sit patiently there? How badly would the service be delayed?
In my case, with both groups, I slowed my approach so as to be able to stop the tram very quickly if anybody did not move, but still maintained enough speed to clearly show that I had no intention of stopping. I rang the gong repeatedly and with the B class in the Mall I also flashed the high beam headlight on and off every few seconds.
On both occasions the crowd dispersed and let me through unobstructed – a truly spectacular sight! I lost maybe 5-10 seconds on each occasion and the same approach works the same with much smaller obstructions.
I also wonder what a fully-automated tram would do when faced with a group of young people who, upon realising that the tram is driverless, decide to intentionally bring it to a stop for as long as possible. Such people would not last 5 seconds against the average Melbourne tram driver – and likely any other operator anywhere in the world.
Richard Youl, Gold Coast (Australia)