Level crossings - Don't Run The Risk !

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

May I please post here in support of Network Rail's campaign to reduce the number of deaths, injuries and even just delays, caused by misuse of level crossings?

See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7878211.stm for some quite unbelievable examples of human stupidity.

[thetrout]

This advert sends shivers down my spine...!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0HJ1C5IWFg&feature=related

[Electric train]

The biggest cause of death and injury on the network is at level crossings

[Chris from Nailsea]

Exactly!  At the risk of labouring the point:

Figures released by Network Rail show there were more than 3,400 cases of level-crossing misuse last year, disrupting thousands of trains.
It said trains had hit 20 vehicles that tried to drive around barriers after crossing lights had come on, and 15 people had died in accidents.
Network Rail is urging changes in the law to toughen sentences for offenders.
It says 95% of accidents at level crossings are caused by misuse or errors including drivers ignoring barriers, warning lights and alarms.
Every week, an average of more than three motorists and five pedestrians were involved in a near-miss.
This is said to have caused delays totalling 55 days to trains and passengers, costing Network Rail about ^1.8m.
It added that the real cost of level crossing misuse was much higher once damage to trains and tracks and staff time was taken into account.

 

[Btline]

People say that they only run the crossings because they have to wait for so long.

Well - if people continue to run them, the waiting time will get bigger and bigger..... (due to necessary H&S^▸ (Health and Safety))

In the meantime, NR^» (Network Rail - home page) should concentrate on making sure that EVERY crossing has FULL barriers (with obvious exceptions). NO half barriers.

And put in more footbridges, so pedestrians are less likely to take the risk.

Yes, it costs money. But these measures will save lives, prevent train driver trauma, and delay money etc.

[autotank]

Shocking footage on the news today - I couldn't believe the guy who lost his shoe!

Bob Crow is coming out with his usual 'lets get rid of all level crossing' nonense tonight. What a totally ridiculous idea! This would cost billions of pounds - money which could be better spent opening up railway lines which would reduce fatalities significantly more by taking cars off the roads. Also no matter how hard we try we can't protect idiots - they will just find another way of endangering their lives. We can't take all risk out of life.

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

on the lighter side

(Network Rail - home page)=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ug9IaNm75-E&NR=1

[Tim]

NR^» (Network Rail - home page) is asking for bigger penalties for crossing abuse and that seems fair enough to me, but will it really make a difference.  If the deterent of being killed by a 60 mph frieght train isn't enough of a discouragement to these idiots I doubt that an extra few thousand pounds fine will make a difference.

What actually needs to be done is to take the driving licences off these idiots, not so much as a punishment but in order to deny a deadly weapon to a person who has demonstrated serious lack of judgement (i bet they are fairly deangerous drivers away from the railway as well)

[eightf48544]

Level crossing accidents are not new, when I was a filing clerk at Waterloo in the early sixtes we filed incidents under the station name. Sunningdale was full of car hit gates entries and of course the equivalent entries  for Weymouth Quay were train hit car.