What kind of brake is the parking brake?
Show the correct answer
Correct answer
B. Passive - operates even after switching off the tram.
Explanation
This question is about the type of the parking brake. The parking brake is a passive brake, which works even after the tram is switched off - the answer is B.
The parking brake is applied by a spring, and energy is needed to release it. After the tram is switched off or the power supply fails, the spring automatically presses the linings, so the tram stays braked and will not roll away. It is not an active brake that works only after the tram is switched on and the pedal is pressed (answer A), nor a brake that depends on lowering the pantograph (answer C). It is precisely thanks to this passive action that the parking brake secures the tram when parked and at the turning loop, even when the tram driver switches off the power.
Legal basis: Art. 66 para. 1 point 1 of the Road Traffic Act (Prawo o ruchu drogowym)