As of this morning, the ACT’s light rail has a new look, wrapped in graphics designed by a local student to encourage rail safety in all Canberrans as part of Rail Safety Week.

Ada Miller, who is in Year 12 at Gungahlin College, joins her pop art predecessor as the winner of the second competition to design a new wrap for the light rail. She was inspired by postmodern art, as well as the rush of the daily commute.

“I see students every day rushing to get to school on time. I made ‘Don’t rush or be crushed’ the main message because I thought it was very important to be forward in speaking to that demographic,” the young artist said. “You’ve got to be straightforward for kids to listen.”

Ms Miller’s work was unveiled to coincide with national Rail Safety Week, 9-15 August.

“I spent three or four months working on the design. It feels unreal to see it on such a big stage,” she said.

Bruno Lancelot, general manager of Canberra Metro Operations (CMET), said the best part of the artful campaign, and why it was continued this year, is because of the talk it inspires.

“When you get people talking, you raise awareness and potentially reduce rail safety risk,” Mr Lancelot said.

“As a city, our rail safety risk is high. We are lucky to not have had many critical incidents. However, CMET records all near misses.

“Currently, 80% of near misses involve the driver employing the emergency brake. This shows a severe risk. It means our operators are having to react quickly to protect our community.”

According to the CMET, there is a near miss every three to four days in Canberra.

“Looking at your phone, being distracted by headphones, or an earpiece – all it takes is a split second to severely affect your life,” Mr Lancelot said. 

ACT Policing is also involved in Rail Safety Week, conducting high visibility patrols for its duration, as well as further operations along the light rail corridor as part of a month-long focus on commuter safety.

Get all the latest Canberra news, sport, entertainment, lifestyle, competitions and more delivered straight to your inbox with the Canberra Daily Daily Newsletter. Sign up here.

For more news:

• Search warrant uncovers stolen goods worth $100,000
• Speeding 17-year-old drink driver had passenger in boot
• JobKeeper scheme payments to remain secret
• NSW accepts border closures are long-term
• Cape York crocodile attack victims lucky to be alive