Wednesday 18 August 2010

Going off the rails



It took a year, but the report about the derailment last August of the Trams on  the Orme is finally out.  And it makes worrying reading. From the report:

Immediate cause
71    The immediate cause of the collision was the lower points moving under tram 6 directing its rear into the path of tram 7 (paragraph 34 and Recommendation 1).
Causal factors
72
A causal factor was the wheel forces overcoming the tumbler’s holding force and changing the position of the points (paragraph 37 and Recommendation 1). This was a result of three factors:
l the effectiveness of the holding force on the points had reduced due to wear and degradation of the points (paragraph 46);
l the points did not have a facing point lock (paragraph 54), and l there were no procedures in place to routinely measure the condition of, or undertake remedial actions upon, the points (paragraph 56).

Perhaps the management of the tramway might care to explain why they seem to place greater emphasis on the drivers' ability to converse in Welsh then they appear to on passenger safety. 

The Great Orme Tramway  is probably the biggest attraction in Llandudno besides the Orme itself;  to ensure it maintains its tourist pulling power, there can't be any shortcuts taken with safety.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Who needs Welsh anyway? I mean, we're all British now.

Linguist said...

I often wonder how the safety in many workplaces could be compromised by the use of two languages.

If a warning is shouted in English, everybody understands. If a warning is shouted in another language only some people understand and maybe a preventable accident could ensue.

Anonymous said...

"Who needs Welsh anyway? I mean, we're all British now. "
Sad to see such small minded ignorance still exists.

Steve Hunt said...

Will there be a prosecution for negligence I wonder?

Linguist said...

Anonymous said...
["Who needs Welsh anyway? I mean, we're all British now. "]
"Sad to see such small minded ignorance still exists."

Shouldn't you have put that in the language of your choice to add credence to your comment?
You didn't because you wanted it read and understood by everybody! Q.E.D.
The point is made I believe!

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said we are 'all' British....
What a silly sweeping statement. Perhaps he could explain what he means by 'all'? His thinking has been moulded by the gutter press, he repeats the same worn out slogan like a brain damaged liberal champagne socialist.
I.Littler.

Anonymous said...

The uneducated person who wrote the original comment would hardly be likely to understand Welsh, would he? I always find it odd how hostile 'Little Englanders' are to any language other than their own - what are they scared of? In Europe, it's very common for a person to speak several languages - Dyw un iaith byth yn ddigon!

Gerallt Gymro said...

Is it a driver's job to check the track or an engineer's? I regularly drive through Conwy tunnel but I've never inspected its structural integrity.

As for the debate on the Welsh language, I don't see the relevance of the argument. Were the tram drivers involved in the incident Welsh? Did they only shout out in Welsh as the trams collided? Were the hordes of casualties all English, due to the language barrier? Did all the Welsh walk away unscathed?

Please remember that English is used in Wales for the benefit of the English. When I see a bilingual roadsign, it's not in English for my benefit. If I receive correspondence from CCBC, the waste in resources comes from the fact that it's repeated in English, not Welsh.

Here in Wales, we have been speaking our language for 1500 years. I'm perfectly capable of reading Welsh prose from the first millennium without difficulty - can you say the same for English?

As to why I've posted in English - I'm compelled to, due to the inability and unwillingness of others to learn the language of their gracious hosts.

Anonymous said...

Gerallt Gymro said...Blah Blah.

You want to apply the same enthusiasm in preserving the Welsh people. Preserving the Welsh language really does not make sense if the Welsh will no longer be around to use it, or are you one of those strange people who believes that anyone can be Welsh with a piece of cardboard ie passport!!
Bronwyn O'Reilly

Gerallt Gymro said...

To reply to your very clumsy "argument", I believe that to be Welsh, you have to speak Welsh. After all, how many Frenchmen can't speak French?

Basically, if you don't like it here, go back home. If your precious Ingerrlund is so wonderful, by all means be its bitch; just don't expect us to listen to your bollocks. How does it feel to know that significantly more people want you to leave our country than want you to stay here? Must be nice to be that popular. You, my "friend", are not wanted here.

Pleidiol wyf i'm gwlad, a cofia di hynnu.