Level crossing stupidity...

[Katier]

Just watching 'caught red handed' episode 2 on bbc iplayer and much of the end of the program might be of interest to you folks as it covers level crossing lunacy... including probably the luckiest 'level crossing lunatic' ever!!!

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01rbqz3/Caught_Red_Handed_Episode_2/

[62613]

The first guy they showed being fined didn't seem to give a toss.

[Katier]

The first guy they showed being fined didn't seem to give a toss.

 

Yeah - I bet he's a poor driver too. I was staggered, I'd take the course just to avoid the points and fine - clearly he had more money than sense!!

[JeffP]

Personally I could take it more seriously if the programme wasn't hosted by supposed "hard-man" Dominic "Littoowood", catching "criminoows".

 

Let's have TV programmes hosted by people who can talk properly at least.....

[Richard E]

No longer available on iPlayer.

[Katier]

For those who missed it the close shave is featured (without commentry) :-

 

 

and yes that IS his shoe being removed by the train!!!

[MarkC]

I feel so sorry for the train drivers in such situations - that first one in particular. Sheesh...

 

Mark

[Welchester]

and yes that IS his shoe being removed by the train!!!

 

He's lucky it's only his shoe that was removed. And what Mark said.

Edited March 20, 2013 by Bishop of Welchester

[The Stationmaster]

Our fairly local AOCL was converted to AOCL(B) status on Sunday - i.e.  it is in the new form which is effectively still an AOCL but now has half barriers added.  It has been in the Top 5 for user abuse at various times over recent years and has had several collisions as a result of Darwin brained motorists ignoring the huge number of red lights it seems to have.  Presumably what NR now expect is a few barrier collisions as I noticed that the misuse/user abuse monitoring cameras have been at least partially renewed at the same time as the barriers have been added.

 

Incidentally this is the crossing where on one occasion I saw a police patrol car come to a stand, one of the coppers got out and went to the crossing threshold and after looking both ways signalled his colleague to drive over the crossing - at least the light weren't flashing when the patrol car crossed.

[Edge]

I dont understand how it is possible to be hit by a train at a level crossing. It is so very very easy to avoid it: I mean, the route that the thing is going to take is marked out . Stay off the rails, and stay alive, why do people have trouble with that concept? And why is their journey time more important to them than their wellbeing?

 

Ive seen a guy vault over a level crossing gate, and run accross in front of an oncoming train because he didnt want to wait. Madness

[Fat Controller]

Our fairly local AOCL was converted to AOCL( B) status on Sunday - i.e.  it is in the new form which is effectively still an AOCL but now has half barriers added.  It has been in the Top 5 for user abuse at various times over recent years and has had several collisions as a result of Darwin brained motorists ignoring the huge number of red lights it seems to have.  Presumably what NR now expect is a few barrier collisions as I noticed that the misuse/user abuse monitoring cameras have been at least partially renewed at the same time as the barriers have been added.

 

Incidentally this is the crossing where on one occasion I saw a police patrol car come to a stand, one of the coppers got out and went to the crossing threshold and after looking both ways signalled his colleague to drive over the crossing - at least the light weren't flashing when the patrol car crossed.

I'm reliably informed that the next-generation CIS system is called 'DARWIN'; I wonder if it's because so many delays are due to Darwin-award behaviour?

[Edwin_m]

I think the presumption by some road users is that the train behaves like a road vehicle.  They don't realise that it could be going a lot faster, it almost certainly can't stop, and it almost always comes off better in a collision. 

[Pete 75C]

There seems to be a misplaced conception within the media that, in order to reach the target audience, the commentator will be listened to more if he sounds like "One of the lads down the pub". Patronising really I suppose but I use the off switch less and less these days, because the on switch sees little use.  

 

Hmm. I even look a bit like Little Dom (just taller) and being born in Saaf Lundun, I even sound like him. It's definitely a misplaced conception that anyone would take more notice of someone like that, because my target audience (wife and kids) don't listen to a damn word I say...

[JeffP]

I think the presumption by some road users is that the train behaves like a road vehicle.  They don't realise that it could be going a lot faster, it almost certainly can't stop, and it almost always comes off better in a collision. 

 

 

I think this may be quite a lot of it.

 

As a kid, I was taught to keep away from moving vehicles, and to ASSUME they wouldn't be able to stop.

 

But how often do you now see folk wandering across the road, eyeballing the oncoming driver, daring him NOT to slow down?

 

Pathetic behaviour.

[simon hudson]

A little off topic there is a pelican crossing on a very busy main road. Right outside the front of the shop where I work and it amazes me how many dopey young mothers especially, plus a few elderly people just don't wait for the lights to change.There is a nursery within a few yard of aforementioned crossing so what do the kids see.The one that amazes me most is this crossing is on a fairly straight piece of road so visibilty is good.We arent far from the local Fire and Police stations and when a blue lighter comes through. The amount of people that think they can outrun the fire engines or police cars amazes me and boy some of those fireengines move sirens hooters going and people blatantly ignore them.there are certainly some *****holes out there

[Sasquatch]

Try goolgling "Railroad Crossing Collision" It is more common than one might expect.

[Adrian Wintle]

Well, we have crossings like this:

 

 

That is on the CP main line, east of Toronto (taken from the bridge over the CN main line). There were probably 10-15 road users (cars and bikes) an hour while I was there photting.

 

Adrian

Edited March 21, 2013 by Adrian Wintle

[Sasquatch]

[HSB]

Some idiot tried to play Russian Roulette with a HST near Taunton today and lost! Drove round a half-barrier and ended up half a mile down the line.

[Adrian Wintle]

Some idiot tried to play Russian Roulette with a HST near Taunton today and lost! Drove round a half-barrier and ended up half a mile down the line.

Already covered in this thread http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/69677-another-level-crossing-crash/ - locked for the moment until more facts are available.

 

Adrian

[PhilJ W]

Tragically there has been yet another crossing accident this time involving a child. >>

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-21894520

[Pete 75C]

Tragically there has been yet another crossing accident this time involving a child. >>

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-21894520

 

There's no level crossing at Riddlesdown - Lower Barn Rd passes under the line just to the north of the station. This is on the Oxted line near Purley, I know the line pretty well from Norwood days. Very tragic but I'll hang on until the facts are known.

[Banger Blue]

No crossing involved but (in my opinion) probably one of the most tragic suicides on the railway this year.

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2298077/Donna-Oettinger-Husband-reveals-agony-learning-wife-sons-death-internet.html

 

Very, very sad indeed.

[The Stationmaster]

Last weekend a nearby AOCL was converted to the new AOCL (B) configuration, which simply means adding half barriers with no other alterations - it is still basically to AOCL standards and operates as an AOCL.   Our local 'paper has made much of this marvellous change and the provision of barriers noting how many collisions have occurred because there weren't any barriers plus the well known toll of misuse incidents and near misses (it is one of the worst in Britain).  

 

Apparently the journo who wrote this tale of impressive upgrading, and a local campaigner, seem to think that all will be well in future - folk might call me a cynic but I'm waiting for the first report of a car coming into collision with the barriers or trying to swerve round them because if people are prepared to ignore the lights I'm sure some of them are equally likely to ignore the barriers as well.  And I suspect someone in NR is of the same mind as me because - as can be seen in the pic below - monitoring cameras are still there and in fact one has been renewed.

 

 

 

[Edwin_m]

It's curious but statistics do seem to suggest that adding barriers is the most effective way to improve safety at an open crossing.  Perhaps this means that some motorists have the mental equivalent of tunnel vision and ignore hazards unless they are directly in front?  Or maybe they think that if the railway hasn't provided barriers it must mean that trains a very slow or very occasional and therefore it is worth taking the chance?  At least with barriers a crossing violation requires a deliberate action to swerve round the barriers instead of just continuing along the normal carriageway. 

 

As I understand it these AOCL+B crossings effectively drive the barriers off the circuit that powers the lights, instead of total replacement of the existing circuitry to provide an extra circuit for the barriers, and therefore deliver almost* all the safety benefits of a barrier for much less cost than a traditional AHB conversion. 

 

*Some proving circuits are omitted.