Does NR really understand safety issues at Level crossings?
Discussion
The usual people trying to get through a crossing as a barrier comes down
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-32385550
It looks as though it's one of these once the barriers come down you're stuck for ages crossings
See the car doing a U turn as it's quicker to choose another route rather than wait for the train to come through and the barriers raise again. What sort of time delay causes someone to think like that?
See the 'skill' of the second motorist trying to get through before the second half barriers are down!
Doesn't it leap out with there's a timing issue leading to inappropriate behaviour
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-32385550
It looks as though it's one of these once the barriers come down you're stuck for ages crossings
See the car doing a U turn as it's quicker to choose another route rather than wait for the train to come through and the barriers raise again. What sort of time delay causes someone to think like that?
See the 'skill' of the second motorist trying to get through before the second half barriers are down!
Doesn't it leap out with there's a timing issue leading to inappropriate behaviour
rs1952 said:
Blame Saaby for bringing up this old chestnut again 
It wasnt me - it was NR with their video showing locals had lost confidence in the crossing times
It would be interesting to see the rest of the video until the train comes through - yawn
The trouble is by making times longer NR seem to be making people act in a less safe manner.
Surely putting cameras up is only going to result in some nice pictures proving the point
In a similar theme to RS1952 above ^^^
You only have to look at that opening video to realise that the presumably local drivers know that when those barriers come down it's going to take a lot longer than 2 minutes for the train to come through.
This leads to normal human behaviour. One car makes a U turn and goes off to find another way through. Another finds a zigzag route through the barriers
If it was well known that the barriers would come down, the train comes through, the barriers go up, you'd have none of that.
Rather than fix the timing, the money is going on cameras to monitor what's already known happens.
Wheres the benefit in having a nice picture of a train driving through a car
PugwasHDJ80 said:
really struggle with the idea that motorist and pedestrians are unable to look at a set of traffic lights and think "oh I'm being told that there is 100s of tonnes of metal coming my way at 100mph, I better get out of the way".
Its very very difficult to have sympathy for people who jump lights or contravene barriers.
National Rail shouldn't spend any more money pandering to errant stupidity.
Its about making sure they spend money on the right thing. If it's spent the wrong way it could make matters worse rather than betterIts very very difficult to have sympathy for people who jump lights or contravene barriers.
National Rail shouldn't spend any more money pandering to errant stupidity.
You only have to look at that opening video to realise that the presumably local drivers know that when those barriers come down it's going to take a lot longer than 2 minutes for the train to come through.
This leads to normal human behaviour. One car makes a U turn and goes off to find another way through. Another finds a zigzag route through the barriers
If it was well known that the barriers would come down, the train comes through, the barriers go up, you'd have none of that.
Rather than fix the timing, the money is going on cameras to monitor what's already known happens.
Wheres the benefit in having a nice picture of a train driving through a car
Edited by saaby93 on Thursday 23 April 23:46
sparks85 said:
Because it is easier and cheaper - finite budget remember - to put cameras up at hot spots in the interim before the crossings are upgraded.
The whole snigger and gotcha comment is a bit ridiculous really isn't it. If you think that's what NR and BTP are trying to achieve then you are seriously deluded.
As with anything there is education and enforcement. If people ignore signs, lights and barriers to put their and others lives at risk, should they not be caught and punished?
Sorry about that. It was probably a bit OTT but the sentiment was there.The whole snigger and gotcha comment is a bit ridiculous really isn't it. If you think that's what NR and BTP are trying to achieve then you are seriously deluded.
As with anything there is education and enforcement. If people ignore signs, lights and barriers to put their and others lives at risk, should they not be caught and punished?
Making a procedure such that people are almost certain to use the unsafe method of using it, then photographing them and fining them? No I dont think they should be caught and punished for that as it's almost a honey trap and isn't addressing the real issue. Enough of that seems to happen on the roads. Best keep the money and use it elsewhere.
Once I'd say that approach wouldn't happen in aircraft safety. The idea would be to tackle what was leading to the unsafe behaviour rather than trying to deal with the consequences. Someone tell me it's still the case.
However I like the 7 minute idea or however long it is
There are reasons that could lead to the real issues being addressed
Edited by saaby93 on Wednesday 22 April 20:29
Pwig said:
What about this beauty here. On the Main road out of Harrogate:
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.998408,-1.499881...
You can quite easily wait 5 minutes for a train to go past..
..Which is going at walking pace and stopping at the station.
In fact you can wait 5 minutes for a train to pull into the station, load/unload and then pull over the crossing at a little over walking pace.
Why not just put the barrier down when it stops at the station?
It's something to do with them not trusting the brakes, there was an earlier post on it.https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.998408,-1.499881...
You can quite easily wait 5 minutes for a train to go past..
..Which is going at walking pace and stopping at the station.
In fact you can wait 5 minutes for a train to pull into the station, load/unload and then pull over the crossing at a little over walking pace.
Why not just put the barrier down when it stops at the station?
However you've highighted another issue
Why do they place railway furniture so close to the crossing so you've got just about zero sight line of anything coming down the track. I think there was a collision last year on a gated crossing where the farmer checks nothings coming, opens the gates, eases forward his pick up truck to see if it's still clear and the nose gets taken off by a train
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