[article] Dublin Bus Crash. Several Dead.

Genghis

A sad situation indeed.

I think there is a few things that need to change along the quays:

- Why can't termini be slightly outside the city centre; I notice some services (such as the 46A) use quiet Mountjoy square as a terminus. Routes could also be combined to make more cross-city services - for example a lot of 'X' routes now continue to UCD rather than terminating in the centre. Buses could still stop along the quays, but there would be no 'parking' of buses there.

- There should be a uniform bus lane along both sides of the quays - buses are challenged to move in / out as they progress up /down the quays. I know the problem here is that in places the quays aren't wide enough, but then the priority might need to be 'lose a traffic lane' than lose a bus lane. In this way the bus lane can also act as a buffer between the (usually) fast-moving / if-not-speeding traffic general traffic and the slower moving buses (though I appreciate this measure would not have helped the sad situation on Saturday)

- consider railing / barrier of some sort to protect volumes of passengers in close proximity to free moving traffic

uberwolf

consider

This ought not need to be considered in all fairness...

nothing against you genghis, I agree with you and we're all armchair experts now, but what is so difficult to install about barriers? why weren't they there already?

Genghis

Aesthetics is the consideration, uberwolf. And before anyone points out the obvious, of course peoples lives are more valuable than aesthetics. We must decide whether we want to ruin open areas like the quays, dame street, college green etc, or whether there are alternative measures (like some of the armchair ones I've mentioned, or others I haven't - less traffic, less problems, etc).

Victor

Originally posted by uberwolf
but what is so difficult to install about barriers? why weren't they there already?

Part of the problem with railings is the further narrow the available footpath space (because there will be space on the kerbside also) and would mean the bus doors would have to line up exactly with the gap in the railings. Although yes, bollards are a partial solution.

I took a look at the stop this morning. You have 2 traffic lanes and one bus lane. Just before these stops the bus lane narrows to about two metres and then ends, with nowhere for the bus to go. The actual stops are in a lay-by that has a number of bus stops and it appears the lay-by has be relatively recently split to allow set-down parking for the Clarence Hotel, by widening the footpath. A traffic sign was sheared clean off at ground level at this point.

John R

Originally posted by Genghis
A sad situation indeed.

I think there is a few things that need to change along the quays:

- Why can't termini be slightly outside the city centre; I notice some services (such as the 46A) use quiet Mountjoy square as a terminus. Routes could also be combined to make more cross-city services - for example a lot of 'X' routes now continue to UCD rather than terminating in the centre. Buses could still stop along the quays, but there would be no 'parking' of buses there.

The 46a no longer goes to Mountjoy Square because of constant attacks on buses and drivers at night.
The main reason for not having longer distance routes cross-city is timing, with Dublin traffic it is impossible to predict a city centre departure time for a bus which starts its journey 40+ minutes before.

Victor

Dublin Bus Accident Inquiry Dublin Bus

Inquiry to Investigate the Accident on Saturday 21st February 2004 at Wellington Quay, Dublin 2.

Dublin Bus Accident Inquiry Dublin Bus Inquiry to Investigate the Accident on Saturday 21st February 2004 at Wellington Quay, Dublin 2.

Following the tragic events, which occurred on Saturday 21st Feb., Dublin Bus has today formally launched its own Company Inquiry into the accident. This inquiry is fully independent to that of the Garda Siochana and aims to determine, using a defined remit and terms of reference, the cause of the incident. The needs and well-being of families of the deceased, the injured and all affected by this tragedy remain a priority for Dublin Bus and the company is committed to the responsible care of our customers.

Terms of Reference of Committee of inquiry to investigate the accident of Feb 21st 2004 at Wellington Quay.

The committee is tasked with:

· Investigating the circumstances of the accident of Feb 21st.
· Establishing the cause(s) and any contributory factors
· Making recommendations to prevent a re-occurrence in the future

The committee will report its preliminary findings and recommendations to the board of Dublin Bus within six weeks of its initial meeting.The costs of the investigation shall be borne by Dublin Bus. The committee has the power to authorize all reasonable expenditure in fulfilling its task.The information and communication during the investigation period shall be considered to be confidential.

Members of The Committee of Inquiry

Arnold O’Byrne - Chairman of Committee

Arnold was appointed to the board of Dublin Bus in 2001. Prior to this he was Chairman and Managing Director of Opel Ireland since 1985. Before joining Opel Ireland he was Chief Auditor of General Motors UK. He is Chairman of Dublin Bus Audit Review Group.

Dr Alan Westwell - Managing Director, Dublin Bus
Dr Westwell joined Dublin Bus in 1997 and has over 40 years experience in the public transport industry having served with nine transport companies. This experience was gained as Chief Executive of a number of the large public transport organisations in the major conurbations in the UK. At International level he has represented public transport and has held membership of a range of Commissions on Transport at European level. He was Chief Executive of Greater Manchester Transport and Director General of the Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive.

Shane Doyle - Chief Engineer, Dublin Bus
Shane Doyle joined C.I.E. in 1977, was appointed Maintenance Engineer in Dublin City Services in 1982 and became Chief Engineer in Dublin Bus when the company was established in 1987.The Chief Engineer is accountable for the overall technical design, safety, quality and technical performance of the road passenger fleet and ensures that the fleet meets all statutory requirements and manages all maintenance activities.

Mick Matthews - Manager, Operations, Dublin Bus
Mick Matthews joined the company in 1963 and worked his way up through the ranks. He has held several key positions including that of conductor, driver, inspector, scheduler, industrial relations executive, Divisional Manager and Area Manager.The Operations Manager is responsible for all operational matters and oversees the day to day implementation of all Dublin Bus services.

Joe Hogan- Risk Manager, Dublin Bus
Joe Hogan joined C.I.E. in 1971 as a mechanic and was promoted through the ranks of Supervisor and Engineering Manager. He was appointed Risk Manager in 1999 and in his current role is responsible for managing all the health and safety activities of the company. Joe is a corporate member of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health.

Hugo Van Wesemael - Transport Consultant
Hugo Van Wesemael is of professional international standing in the public transport industry. He is from Belgium and he Chaired the Bus Commission and the European Committee of the International Union of Public Transport for a period of years. Prior to his retirement last year he was the Director General of Flanders Transport.

Wolfgang Arnold - Engineering and Infrastructure Director, Stuttgart Transport Authority
Wolfgang Arnold is a Director of a Public Transport Company in the City of Stuttgart in Germany. His responsibility is for operations and infrastructure and is a member of the European General Commission on Transport and Urban Life. He has wide experience in public transport, planning and operations.

Simon J Brown MBE - Consultant
Simon Brown is a Chartered Engineer, a Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Transport.In 1988 he was appointed Group Engineer of London Buses Limited (LBL) and was a Non Executive Director of two of LBL’s subsidiary companies. His responsibilities during this time covered the specification, and maintenance of the fleet of 6,500 vehicles.Since leaving London Transport he has undertaken a variety of consultancies and project management activities.

Richard F. Lambourn MA Dphil MinstP MITAI - Principal Consultant, Investigations and Risk Management Group
Dr. Richard Lambourn is a Principal Consultant in the Investigations and Risk Management Group at the UK’s Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) specialising in road accident reconstruction matters. He is a Chartered Physicist, and is a member of the Institute of Physics, a member of the Institute of Traffic Accident Investigators and a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers.

Victor

A list of the deceased is provided at the end of this link.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/0223/dublinbus.html

CIÉ to publish bus accident probe findings

February 23, 2004

(18:26) The chairman of CIÉ has said the company intends to publish the findings of its inquiry into Saturday's accident, in which five people were killed on Wellington Quay, in six weeks' time.

John Lynch said an inquiry team had been formed and would meet on Friday.

He said the two drivers involved in the accident were receiving counselling but were not expected to be back driving in the short term.

He said the company knew what had happened but did not know why it had happened.

Meanwhile, Dublin Bus has opened a Book of Condolence at its headquarters on O'Connell Street in Dublin. The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, and the Minister for Transport, Seamus Brennan, were among the first to sign the book.

Speaking earlier on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Dublin Bus Spokeswoman, Gráinne Mackin, said the number 66 bus was five feet from the kerb picking up passengers when the second bus ploughed into them.

She also said the accident was not caused by a medical problem with either of the drivers. Ms Mackin said the inquiry - which will involve international experts - would look at every possible cause.

Bee

Originally posted by Victor
I took a look at the stop this morning. You have 2 traffic lanes and one bus lane. Just before these stops the bus lane narrows to about two metres and then ends, with nowhere for the bus to go. The actual stops are in a lay-by that has a number of bus stops and it appears the lay-by has be relatively recently split to allow set-down parking for the Clarence Hotel, by widening the footpath. A traffic sign was sheared clean off at ground level at this point.

What insane DCC "Road Traffic Engineer" designed this accident waiting to happen? Another obvious to anyone but a DCC "Engineer" is the incredibly dangerous footpath extensions that are used here to make the lay-by for the buses. It forces the buses to swing in and out in a dangerous manner. I saw a cyclist getting hit along here by a bus rushing to get into the lay-by, she was thrown against one of the bollards. DCC has not learned anything by the previous deaths and accidents along the quays with footpath extensions onto the road. The entire quays need a re-design and the re-design needs to be removed totally from DCC.

- There should be a uniform bus lane along both sides of the quays - buses are challenged to move in / out as they progress up /down the quays.

And this is lethal to cyclists as they are challenged by the buses, !

I know the problem here is that in places the quays aren't wide enough, but then the priority might need to be 'lose a traffic lane' than lose a bus lane.

The Quays are a main traffic artery for Dublin Port/Dublin. Priority has to be given to keep the traffic flowing freely. Until that is sorted out it might be safest to lose any bus stops at any narrow area along the quays.

Bee

LFCFan

Hopefully the Port Tunnel will improve the situation on the Quays.

Victor

http://home.eircom.net/content/irelandcom/topstories/2604124?view=Eircomnet

Gardai hope security videos will give clues to bus crash
From:ireland.com
Tuesday, 24th February, 2004

Dublin Bus and the Garda are hoping video footage from security cameras on business premises, including the Clarence Hotel, may provide vital clues to the cause of last Saturday's fatal bus accident at Wellington Quay.

The search for video footage came as Dublin Bus yesterday announced the establishment of an inquiry into the tragedy in which five people were killed.

The inquiry, which will be chaired by Mr Arnold O'Byrne, chairman of the Dublin Bus audit review group, will report in six weeks' time. It will meet for the first time on Friday.

The committee will seek to establish the cause of the accident and any contributory factors and make recommendations to prevent a similar tragedy.

The crash is to be raised in the Dáil today, with the Labour Party seeking to table a special notice question on the issue.

The bodies of the five people killed in the accident are to be released to their families today.

The accident happened after an out-of-service bus, which was leaving Wellington Quay for Lucan, passed a stationary Maynooth bound bus on the inside, mounting a kerb and colliding with a group of passengers queuing to board the Maynooth bus.

Eight of the injured were still in hospital last night. Gardaí and Dublin Bus investigators are waiting to interview the drivers of both vehicles. They received trauma counselling yesterday and were said to be having difficulty recollecting clearly what had happened.

While there were eye-witness accounts of the accident, gardaí confirmed that they were hoping security camera footage might provide vital details of what happened in the seconds leading up to the collision.

Gardaí plan to study footage from the Clarence Hotel and other businesses. Dublin City Council said its cameras were not trained on that part of the quay at the time.

The board of Dublin Bus held an emergency meeting at its O'Connell Street headquarters yesterday, and the company opened a special book of condolences. It was signed by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan.

Mr Ahern said he met the chairman of CIÉ, Dr John Lynch, and some of the families and friends of the deceased and injured.

Responding to questions as to the cause of the accident, Mr Brennan said it was unlikely to be clear cut. It was always tempting to look for a simple solution "and I don't believe there is one here", he said. Both buses involved in the accident have been impounded by the gardaí for examination. Dublin Bus said it did not expect the vehicles to be found to be defective. Dr Lynch said last night that the drivers were "not in a position to talk yet".

He added that both drivers were qualified and experienced and the driver of the out-of-service bus had more than 20 years' service. This driver had also been successful at an examination as an advanced driver, Dr Lynch said.

Victor

Originally posted by Victor
I took a look at the stop this morning. You have 2 traffic lanes and one bus lane. Just before these stops the bus lane narrows to about two metres and then ends, with nowhere for the bus to go. The actual stops are in a lay-by that has a number of bus stops and it appears the lay-by has be relatively recently split to allow set-down parking for the Clarence Hotel, by widening the footpath. A traffic sign was sheared clean off at ground level at this point.

Diagram

Victor

http://www.breakingnews.ie/2004/02/27/story136079.html

Bus crash committee meets today
27/02/2004 - 7:19:44 am

The committee established by Dublin Bus to investigate last Saturday’s horrific accident in the capital is due to hold its first meeting today.

The committee, chaired by Arnold O’Byrne of Opel Ireland, is due to report to the company in six weeks’ time.

It has been asked to establish the cause of accident and any factors that may have contributed to it.

It will also make recommendations aimed at preventing any similar accidents from taking place in the future.

Five people died when an out-of-service Dublin Bus mounted the footpath on Wellington Quay last Saturday afternoon and ploughed into a group of people waiting to board the number 66 to Maynooth.

http://home.eircom.net/content/irelandcom/topstories/2631786?view=Eircomnet

Dublin Bus inquiry into fatal incident opens
From:ireland.com
Friday, 27th February, 2004

Dublin Bus will today begin its official inquiry into last Saturday's fatal accident at Wellington Quay in which five people died.

The first phase of the investigation will be in private, but a further public inquiry has not been ruled out.

A spokeswoman said last night the six-week inquiry would be very concentrated and intense and this was partly why four international experts had been engaged to move things along.

The investigation team last night finished interviewing the two bus-drivers involved in the fatal crash.

The company was given medical sanction to begin questioning the drivers on Wednesday.

Their statements and accounts will be fed into the inquiry, the Dublin Bus spokeswoman said.

The terms of reference of the inquiry, which Dublin Bus stresses is completely separate from the Garda investigation, are to investigate the circumstances of the accident and to establish the cause and any contributory factors of the crash.

The structure of the investigation was currently "quite loose", the spokeswoman said.

"The committee will initially need to meet to decide the topics and modules, but there will be technical and human components and will involve the reports of eyewitnesses."

A number of working groups will support the main committee, providing such information as technical studies and "peer review" reports.

Mr Arnold O'Byrne, a Dublin Bus board member, will act as chairman of the inquiry.

Mr O'Byrne is the current chairman of the Dublin Bus audit review group. He was previously chairman and managing director of Opel Ireland.

The investigating committee will be made up of eight other members including three Dublin Bus officials and four international experts.

Dr Alan Westwell, managing director of Dublin Bus, joined the company in 1997 and has more than 40 years experience in the public transport industry.

He has been chief executive of a number of large public transport organisations in major UK conurbations.

Mr Shane Doyle, chief engineer with the company, joined CIÉ in 1977 and became chief engineer in Dublin Bus when the company was established in 1987.

Mr Mick Matthews, the operations manager of Dublin Bus, has worked with the company as a conductor, driver, inspector, scheduler, industrial relations executive, divisional manager and area manager.

The final Dublin Bus official on the team is Mr Joe Hogan, the company's risk manager.

He joined CIÉ in 1971 as a mechanic and was promoted through the ranks of supervisor and engineering manager. Mr Hogan was appointed risk manager in 1999.

The international experts include Mr Wolfgang Arnold, engineering and infrastructure director with the Stuttgart Transport Authority, Germany; Mr Hugo van Wesemael, former director general of Lijn Transport, Flanders, Belgium; Dr Richard Lambourn, lead investigator with the UK Transport Research Laboratory; and Mr Simon J. Brown, former group engineer with London Buses Ltd.

Victor

http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/0228/dublin.html

Reconstruction of Dublin bus crash
February 28, 2004

(17:02) Gardaí will tomorrow reconstruct the events of last Saturday's bus crash on Dublin's Wellington Quay in which five people were killed.

The reconstruction will take place from 6am and the area will be closed to traffic for a number of hours.

Dublin Bus will supply three buses identical to those at the stop last week, but it is understood they will be driven by gardaí.

Detectives trying to establish how a bus drove into a bus queue, will be joined by the international team of investigators brought in by Dublin Bus as part of the company's own inquiry.

Superintendent Tom Conway, who is leading the investigation, said it is hoped more information can be gained about the specifics of the accident.

It comes as the last victim Kathleen Gilton, 69, from Maynooth, was buried today.

As a mark of respect to those who died, all buses in Dublin are today displaying black ribbons on their wing mirrors.

Victor

http://home.eircom.net/content/irelandcom/topstories/2649534?view=Eircomnet

Bus accident report expected within a month
From:ireland.com
Monday, 1st March, 2004

Shortly after 7 a.m. yesterday, three Dublin buses, almost identical to those involved in last week's crash, approached the Clarence Hotel on Wellington Quay.

Dawn had just broken over Dublin, and few people braved the cold to catch a glimpse of the Garda reconstruction.

Articulated lorries rumbled past and the odd taxi-driver slowed to take a look before the quays were sealed off. Some of Dublin City Council's cleaning staff swept the area before the reconstruction began.

Three people from Co Clare claimed to have arrived especially for the reconstruction.

Members of the Garda transport investigation team arrived, assisted by other members of the force and CIÉ engineers.

The driver of one of the buses, a uniformed Garda who wished to remain anonymous, said a number of theories were to be examined.

Yesterday's exercise was an attempt to establish the speed at which the bus was travelling when it went out of control and crashed into the stationary 66 bus, killing five people and injuring 20.

Just over a week previously, the scene had been one of chaos and horror but yesterday's was a clinical exercise attempting to shed some light on the tragedy.

The road had already been marked with yellow paint to indicate the position of the buses following the crash.

Two empty buses were manoeuvred and placed exactly as they were on the day of the incident and photographed from every stage.

Two cranes were used to allow pictures to be taken from a height.

All the information gathered yesterday will form part of the investigation file. A report is expected within a month.

So far, gardaí have interviewed more than 50 people and taken camera footage from the Clarence to help them with their investigation.

Supt Tom Conway said yesterday's reconstruction was an attempt to put together what exactly happened "to get a better picture" of the accident.

The operation was watched by independent observers from the Dublin Bus investigation team.

Reconstructions like yesterday's occurred regularly, according to gardaí, but they are rarely as high profile.

The operation started within sight of the bouquets of flowers which have been left in sympathy to the families of those who lost their lives.

It was finished at about 11.15 a.m.

The quays were reopened and the buses rolled back on to the busy roadway.

One sympathy card at the scene reads: "If only we had the words that might offer a little comfort, ease a fraction of the pain ... we could let you know that you're not alone during this tragic time. But we don't because the words simply don't exist."

Victor

http://home.eircom.net/content/irelandcom/breaking/2672391?view=Eircomnet

Reports on crash 'speculation' - Dublin Bus
From:ireland.com
Thursday, 4th March, 2004

Dublin Bus has described reports this morning on the cause of the Wellington Quay crash as "pure speculation".

The company's spokeswoman, Ms Grainne Macken, refused to comment on the claims the driver at the centre of the investigation accidentally got his foot stuck on the accelerator

She said the company would say tomorrow when its investigating team's findings would be published. Ms Macken described media reports published prior to the publication of the Dublin Bus inquiry as "speculation or hearsay."

The Star newspaper reported this morning that it had gained access to the Garda investigation of the crash, which killed five people.

Dublin Bus and the Garda have begun investigations into the incident, but the newspaper claims detectives are satisfied they know what happened.

The report said officers had established that the engine of the out-of-service bus was running, with its automatic transmission in drive gear, when the first driver handed the vehicle over to another colleague who was starting a new shift.

The newspaper claims investigators believe the second driver then lost control of the vehicle after he sat into the cab moments later and released the handbrake.