NORFOLK -- Two days before passengers climb aboard The Tide, a minivan collided with the train at Second Street and Brambleton Avenue. It's the second crash there in less than a week.
Haywood Waller, 70, was trying to turn right onto Brambleton Avenue when his vehicle struck the train, which was heading westbound.
Waller, who was alone in the van, was treated for minor injuries, police said.
Waller was walking around after the 5:10 p.m. accident but was complaining of some pain. The van has handicapped plates.
Waller was issued a summons for disregarding a traffic direction signal.
The train operator was not hurt.
HRT President and CEO Philip Shucet went to the scene to see what happened.
"People need to look at the signs and obey them," said Shucet. "I don't think the train collided with the van. I think the van collided with the train, but our investigation will have to be done to verify this."
Last week, according to police, a Toyota Camry clipped the Tide last Thursday morning and the driver kept going.
"Two in a week's time? I mean, how many people is it gonna take? You know, how many accidents will it take for them to see we really need to correct this problem?" asked Dishena Hinton, who works in Fort Norfolk.
Hinton, like many drivers, agrees that people need to be conscientious of changes brought by the addition of light rail. Like many drivers, she points out that particular intersection presents a host of problems for people including visibility issues and what appears to be problems with traffic signal timing.
"You sit for a minute, and, after you see the light rail coming, then, all of a sudden it turns red, but you're already there, or, sometimes, you've pulled past it," Hinton told 13News. "They need to fix it, because someone's really gonna get hurt. It's really gonna hurt someone someday. I pray that it doesn't."
In a press release Thursday, HRT addressed signals at that particular intersection. A solid red traffic light indicated that all traffic on 2nd street should stop. An illuminated bright red sign warned against turning across the tracks, providing yet more caution. The train also began sounding its horn 300 feet from the intersection.
Shucet made it pretty clear that HRT doesn't have any immediate plans to make any changes.
"HRT would not plan to make any changes to that intersection," said Shucet. "We're satisfied that it is functioning as it should. I can't speak for the city but as far as HRT is concerned, we wouldn't plan any changes to that intersection."
Bob Batcher, City of Norfolk Communications Director, addressed the issue of drivers turning right at the intersection of 2nd and Brambleton.
"If they're inching out, they're doing it to see if there is vehicular traffic coming down the other way. So those are the kinds of things that are being evaluated in this intersection. This is a brand new intersection as it is this way," Batcher said.
Thursday is the formal ribbon cutting of the 11-station line.
The Tide's first run with passengers starts at 6:00 a.m. Friday from the Newtown Road station. Festivities are planned throughout the morning. It marks the beginning of a three-day "free weekend" before riders are charged a fee beginning Monday.
There are four free park-and-ride lots for Tide commuters -- at the Newtown Road, Harbor Park, Military Highway and Ballentine/Broad Creek stations.
Meantime, Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) is due to take a tour of the light rail line Thursday afternoon.
