Tram passengers in Croydon are being put in danger by an increasing number of reckless drivers jumping red lights – and the problem is getting worse.

Tram drivers say they have been forced to slam on emergency brakes more than 150 times for cars and pedestrians in the last couple of years, mostly in Croydon town centre.

The boss of London Trams has warned there could be serious injuries and delays to services if the trend continues.

In the past three weeks alone, two cars have been in collision with trams and one tram driver had to brake sharply to avoid a car which jumped a red light.

On January 30, a 32-tonne tram was knocked off the tracks after it was in collision with a car at a crossing in Oaks Road. No one was seriously hurt.

General manager for London Trams Mark Davis said: “We do everything we can to minimise the risks but we can’t eliminate everything.

“If a car jumps a red light when a tram has right of way, or someone steps out by accident because they have headphones in or are watching something on their phone, trams are forced to apply the emergency brake which brings it to a stop pretty quickly. If someone isn’t sitting down or holding on, they can be injured.”

Since 2020 there have been nine crashes involving cars and 59 near misses where tram drivers have had to use the emergency, or hazard, brakes.

And in the last year, there have been 105 hazard brakes for people walking in front of trams – 71 of these were in the Croydon town centre. 

“There has been a bit of an increase in car versus tram incidents which is why we need to get the message out that jumping red lights is not a particularly safe thing,” Mr Davis said.

As well as being a risk to the safety of tram users and pedestrians, the incidents can lead to longer-term delays on the tram network. There are 34 trams available, of which 31 are needed for a full daily service.

A tram  was damaged by a vehicle near East Croydon station in the past three weeks. Another involved in a collision with a car in January will be out of service for six weeks.

Mr Davis said: “Having this [tram] out long-term means if we have a fault on any other tram,  it could be a real problem.”

He said applying the emergency brake could be equally distressing for tram drivers and passengers.

He explained: “If it is going relatively slowly, the hazard [brake] will work pretty quickly. It can be quite a violent stop which is why I am worried.

“It is not just about avoiding a collision, which is our ultimate aim. A hazard break can cause injuries inside the tram.