Car collides with light-rail train in Norfolk, drives off

Posted to: Light Rail News Norfolk Traffic - Transportation
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By Debbie Messina
The Virginian-Pilot
© August 12, 2011

NORFOLK

A car hit a light-rail train Thursday morning at 2nd Street and Brambleton Avenue and drove off.

No injuries were reported, police spokesman Officer Chris Amos said.

It happened shortly before 7:45 a.m. near the 600 block of Brambleton. The car clipped the train and knocked off the left front quarter panel, Amos said.

Hampton Roads Transit reports the damage at $3,500 to $4,000, which will be repaired by early next week in time for the Aug. 19 grand opening of The Tide.

Officials are studying footage from the train's cameras.

Police are searching for the driver of the vehicle, which is believed to be a blue Toyota Camry sedan.

The collision is the second for the light-rail system, which is conducting test runs without passengers. A bicyclist hit the side of a train at a crossing near the corner of York and Botetourt streets in June. No one was hurt.

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Other car drivers are a

Submitted by garydubour on Fri, 08/12/2011 at 11:20 am.

Other car drivers are a hazard also, but the train is on its tracks, and if we drive carefully it will not be a hazard to us

Its what happens when people

Submitted by garydubour on Fri, 08/12/2011 at 11:13 am.

Its what happens when people are driving around not paying attention

As I said,

Submitted by truthseeker on Sat, 08/13/2011 at 10:34 am.

I feel the main culprits will be the loud music and texting/talking situations.

Tourist attraction

Submitted by truthseeker on Fri, 08/12/2011 at 10:46 am.

Folks see that extension riding the wires over the Tide cars, and thing "AHA!! Bumper Cars!"
All seriousness aside, more incidents will occur until the laws about excessively tinted windows, loud music, texting/talking while driving, and "rolling stops" are enforced heavily. I feel the main culprits will be the loud music and texting/talking situations.

Next job opening for HRT

Submitted by harleyrod on Fri, 08/12/2011 at 10:23 am.

will be for the position of removing graffiti from the Tide. Won't take long before the "tagging" begins...the same Norfolk city council which forced the Tide down your throats are praying for the gentfirication to Norfolk from VaBch...good luck with that...

Light Rail

Submitted by vpyvpi92 on Fri, 08/12/2011 at 10:12 am.

The building of the light rail has been going on for how long? Its now here, so you cant say I didn't know about it. The people complaining about the light rail are probably the same people who don't follow the walk / dont walk signs either! Embrace the change!

Wht the pilot didn't bother to report...

Submitted by aalto on Fri, 08/12/2011 at 9:46 am.

WVEC.com

NORFOLK – In less than two weeks, passengers will board the Tide light rail. But drivers have already been dealing with some problems while the Tide tests its cars.

When the Tide rolls through the intersection of Ballentine Boulevard, the traffic light turns red and stays red even after the train is long gone.

“You might wait through three or four cycles of the light,” said driver Robert Toney. “You might be sitting there for three or four minutes.”

Toney said it’s not only causing traffic snarls but also some dangerous situations.

“You’ll get people running the light and making the illegal turn, but there’s a lot of blind spots so it’s not a good situation.”

Toney and others have called the city abou