5/20/2010
MRT jumpers, a cheap and easy solution
Another jumper missed the train, or the train missed the jumper. The jumper was on the track but train stopped in time. Jumper hauled up and sent to hospital with minor injuries.
Looks like the jumpers are ever ready to smash at the train as long as the sophisticated screen doors are not installed. The multi million dollar system is still waiting for full delivery, or maybe SMRT are monitoring its effectiveness before commissioning the whole works.
Actually a cheaper and easier solution can be found and be implemented instantly. Why can’t the trains be made to slow down to a speed that would not kill as it near the station? Is that so difficult to implement? How much time will it lost, 10 sec per station? The little time lost can be made up with a small increase in speed on its way to the next station, and no time would be lost at all.
And once the jumpers know that the train speed is slow enough not to kill, they would not risk jumping down to get injured only to live.
See, no need to spend multi million dollars and complicated system. And there is a high recurrence and maintenance cost to foot in the long run. Just a little procedural change and training were all that is needed.
This is common sense and the same principle is being applied to road speed. Why so many roads are limited at 50 kph and the expressways at 90 kph? Safety, and to minimise road accidents of course. A slowing down of train speed before hitting the station could solve the jumper problem so easily and cheaply.
They better pay me for consultancy fee. I don’t offer ingenious ideas for free.
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19 comments:
Once SMRT realized how much more sardines they can squeeze onto the platform with the installed sophisticated screen doors...they sped up the process
Chin Leng Sir;
if your idea for this post is to save live, well and good. However, stopping anyone from suicide at mrt stations aint going to stop the suicide seekers to other means.
But, me must agrees with You that your suggestion to slow down the train when approaching the station and make-up for the speed in between the stations is a good one.
Me likes to end this comment by saying; to save live, our leaders must STOP MAKING LIVING DIFFICULT FOR THE PEOPLE. Me does not need the Leaders to pay me for the gem of a solution. All they need to do is wake up their consciences.
patriot
You are absolutely right in saying that you can't stop someone who wants to end his own life. No MRT to smash, they can smash cars or roads from high buildings.
My suggestion is going to save SMRT millions of dollars instead of wasting them on those screen doors. The screen doors only push the buck to someone else and make MRT looks a safer place. The truth is that MRT is a safe place. Only the suiciders make it unsafe.
When people start to jump from flats, fingers will be pointing to HDB flats as unsafe. True, this is how people will think. And HDB will have to fence up or wall up all the high balconies or it will look irresponsible, just like SMRT if it does nothing.
The whole thing is so stupid. And to avoid being branded as irresponsible, they have to spend millions, was it tens or hundreds of millions?
I don’t think anything can be realistically done to absolutely stop people from killing themselves. If a jumper fails to ‘suicide by train’ he can always find alternatives: suicide by bus/car. If he is so hell bent on jumping, there’s always the “gravity option”, and there’s no lack of high structures in S’pore.
This is a non-issue. Some people are motivated to kill themselves for a variety of reasons. You can’t even blame the govt for this – maybe they’ve been jilted, maybe they have an incurable, terminal illness…lots of possible reasons.
i lol-ed. Even if the train approaches at 5km/h you'll still die from being run over. It might just be a slower death tho. :))))
Many a damsel left her lover because her lover has little money.
A man diagnosed with stone commited suicide(in Tampines) could it be that he had insufficient fund?
Many a divorce is also due to financial and gambling problems.
Sufferings from poverty, disease, pains, both physical and emotional, when alleviated or when reduced could make livings more bearable.
patriot
Many a damsel left her lover because her lover has little money.
A man diagnosed with stone commited suicide(in Tampines) could it be that he had insufficient fund?
Many a divorce is also due to financial and gambling problems.
Sufferings from poverty, disease, pains, both physical and emotional, when alleviated or when reduced could make livings more bearable.
patriot
The main reason why people kill themselves is because of sufferings. And the GREATEST SUFFERING IS SHOT OF OR NO NO MONEY to cope up up with livings.
Helpint to alleviate or reduce the sufferings will save live or at least reduce suicides.
patriot
patriot,
if you can find ways to ‘reduce suffering’ and solve the lack-of-money-issue which you claim to be a constant human issue, I guarantee you will become a very wealthy person :)
But even if you do, you will still not stop some people from killing themselves ;)
I dont wish to be rude, but this idea seems to be suggesting that if u stand infront of a tank travelling at 1km/hr, u will not be dead becoz the speed cannot kill u and u will not be squashed to pieces.
Hard to find tanks in Singapore. But try standing infront of a trailer truck going at 5km/hr. If anyone can survive that after the wheels roll over u for a few times, congrats.
MRT do not have rubber wheels, they have metal ones!
Ur idea can only prolong the suffering of pple who wanna commit suicide, and hopefully STraits time publish an article on how painful death by a slow moving train can be, maybe that will stop pple jumping on the track.
I don't wish to be rude either.
The whole purpose of slowing down on approaching the station is to allow the driver to break in case there is a jumper. And that was what happened at Redhill. The driver as able to stop in time.
I don't think you are thinking that the driver will just plough into a jumper even at slow speed. The trains may have steel wheels but also have a braking system that is used for breaking if needed.
Alright. I guess ur idea would work provided the person jump further away.
If the person jump literally right in front of the train when it is pulling in. What will happen? Im not an expert of the MRT braking system. Will it be able to come to a stop completely within 5 seconds even if it was travelling at 5km/hr?
What do u think?
Matilah Sir;
me happens to be in the lowest income category. At 6 decades old, i had earned less than 800K in my working life and me had not made any money from other mean or source.
Many who know me said i am a lazy bum which i readily admit. But, i do not depend on charity nor on others to survive. Me lives within my means and luckily my poor health problems were 'solved' during my young days at minimal or no cost to my family. And since then, me has no health problem.
If i do suffer from incurable pain, me will not hesitate to go with a BANG and leave a name for posterity, be it good or bad.
Me likes to say, due to my humble background, i can empathize with the sufferings of the poor as i am one of them. Me still working 12 hours shift.
Do You agree with me that livings can be made easier for the people with policies? Is it not possible for the Government to make less PROFITS from the people? Do our leaders have to pay themselves the RIDICULOUS remunerations?
patriot
Hi Anon 6:03,
The jumpers are jumping because the speed the train is running into the station gives them the impression that it is instant death. The speed could be halved or lower, leave it to the operator to figure out, to allow them to break effectively should they see someone jumps.
Also, potential jumpers will be discouraged once they see the train gliding in at a much slower speed that would not kill them instantly. They will find other ways in some other places to do their jumping. SMRT will thus not be blamed.
No need la, learn the Yishun incident, you just lie yourselves between the 2 tracks / rails and like that sure die de, regardless the speed.
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I don’t want to be rude, but I can’t help it. No… wait, I want to be rude but can’t help being polite… no… ah fuck it…you guys are obviously more morally superior to me, knock yourselves out, boaster cocks showing false humility – shame on you ;)
Hey patriot, I would say that you are very wealthy – having got as far as you have with so little (or so you claim): good on you. Hope you have many more good years where you can contemplate your navel – as it seems to give you so much pleasure sharing your (so-called) “suffering” with us.
Cheers!
Saving them millions does not always benefit commuters one bit because the savings does not equate to lower fares.
On the contrary they are going to say that since they are forking out millions for the doors, commuters must therefore be made to pay more. That is their motive. Never mind the millions spent. It will always be recovered.
It is also good for upping the prestige of the Government by cutting down on train related suicides.
Matilah, thank You much for the compliments and wishes.
Good health and peace are my wealth thus far. As me ages beyond sixty, me does feel health may not be that easy to maintain with today's cost of medicares. And it is reasonable to suspect most things to go up in tandem with the years.
My younger days in the village were very carefree and me believes there are many villages elsewhere i could go when the time comes, that is when my 94 year old mother goes. However, it seems she has many more years left.
Me wish You good health on top of good life.
patriot
Matilah, thank You much for the compliments and wishes.
Good health and peace are my wealth thus far. As me ages beyond sixty, me does feel health may not be that easy to maintain with today's cost of medicares. And it is reasonable to suspect most things to go up in tandem with the years.
My younger days in the village were very carefree and me believes there are many villages elsewhere i could go when the time comes, that is when my 94 year old mother goes. However, it seems she has many more years left.
Me wish You good health on top of good life.
patriot
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