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Level crossing stupidity...


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More stupidity today.

 

I was driving slowly towards Hest Bank Level Crossing. The amber lights come on, so I stop. The red lights start flashing, the warning horns are blaring and the barriers start to come down. Middle aged lady dog walker walks under the descending barriers onto the crossing. How could she be oblivious to the lights, horns and descending barriers? She is halfway across and the barriers stop descending, the lady continurs and walks all the way across. Totally stupid.

 

I rang the signalman (I think he’s at Preston), his colleague had spotted her on the TV cameras and stopped the barriers coming down.

 

I might have caught it all on my dashcam.

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More stupidity today.

 

I was driving slowly towards Hest Bank Level Crossing. The amber lights come on, so I stop. The red lights start flashing, the warning horns are blaring and the barriers start to come down. Middle aged lady dog walker walks under the descending barriers onto the crossing. How could she be oblivious to the lights, horns and descending barriers? She is halfway across and the barriers stop descending, the lady continurs and walks all the way across. Totally stupid.

 

I rang the signalman (I think he’s at Preston), his colleague had spotted her on the TV cameras and stopped the barriers coming down.

 

I might have caught it all on my dashcam.

Not like there is a footbridge nearby she could use.....oh wait!

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I was driving slowly towards Hest Bank Level Crossing. The amber lights come on, so I stop. The red lights start flashing, the warning horns are blaring and the barriers start to come down. Middle aged lady dog walker walks under the descending barriers onto the crossing. How could she be oblivious to the lights, horns and descending barriers? She is halfway across and the barriers stop descending, the lady continurs and walks all the way across. Totally stupid.

 

If it's a full barrier crossing, then you could argue that someone who knows how they work could be just selfish rather than stupid to cross like that.

 

Even if the signaller were to fail to notice you and didn't lift the barriers, you should have plenty of time to finish crossing and duck under the ones at the other side before the train arrives - likely much more time than you'd get if you started to cross legitimately at an automatic half-barrier crossing just before the lights went on.

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If it's a full barrier crossing, then you could argue that someone who knows how they work could be just selfish rather than stupid to cross like that.

 

Even if the signaller were to fail to notice you and didn't lift the barriers, you should have plenty of time to finish crossing and duck under the ones at the other side before the train arrives - likely much more time than you'd get if you started to cross legitimately at an automatic half-barrier crossing just before the lights went on.

..... but did the middle-aged dog know how the barriers worked ? ............... did it, or did it not have its companion on a lead ?

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More stupidity today.

 

I was driving slowly towards Hest Bank Level Crossing. The amber lights come on, so I stop. The red lights start flashing, the warning horns are blaring and the barriers start to come down. Middle aged lady dog walker walks under the descending barriers onto the crossing. How could she be oblivious to the lights, horns and descending barriers? She is halfway across and the barriers stop descending, the lady continurs and walks all the way across. Totally stupid.

 

I rang the signalman (I think he’s at Preston), his colleague had spotted her on the TV cameras and stopped the barriers coming down.

 

I might have caught it all on my dashcam.

She's probably done it before and knows its quite safe as the signaller, will spot her and lift the barriers for her.

 

Isn't it good to get personalised service!

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tootlin along clayton lane today approaching clayton hall tram stop unable to cross tram lines as que of traffic waiting to join Ashton new rd ahead so stop short of yellow box .lights goto red for aproaching Ashton bound tram when what pops into my drivers door mirror but a school minibus right hand indicater on attemting to overtake the que luckley for the minibus the tram crossed at that point and he slammed on stopping short tram clears brief shrug from minbus driver and off he goes .footage on my truck dashcam reviwed at end of shift abd forwarded to his employer and Gmp by managment and quite rightly so

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I sometimes have the Ashland VA VR railcam on in the background and someone has just driven onto the tracks - again....

 

You need to do a screen capture as the link is dynamic and shows in real time.

It's now long gone.

 

Keith

Edited by melmerby
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On a slightly different note a level crossing I occasionally use now has an LED crossing gates warning sign. I am not all that impressed with it as it comes into sight at about the same time as the level crossing and its stop lights, so does not give much extra in the way of a warning. It then illuminates on your approach in a distracting way before if you have a vehicle with a reasonably high seating position passing through the line of sight to the right hand stop lights. Which are the ones right in front of you and hence most visible as the crossing approach is on a curve. The best thing about it is that the trees near to the crossing have been trimmed back during its installation improving drivers sighting of the crossing lights and barriers.

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You need to do a screen capture as the link is dynamic and shows in real time.

It's now long gone.

 

Keith

 

 

I'm sure it will duly appear in one of the many clips on youtube.

 

 

And here it is:

Edited by newbryford
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The whole incident was cleared in about 40 minutes.

They're quite used to it...…………...

It would be even quicker if there were ramps down into the dirt and then the numpties could get out without the need for a breakdown truck.

There were proposals to put the railway in a covered trench but it came to nothing. I think the locals like their railway through the middle of town.

 

Keith

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It would be even quicker if there were ramps down into the dirt and then the numpties could get out without the need for a breakdown truck.

There were proposals to put the railway in a covered trench but it came to nothing. I think the locals like their railway through the middle of town.

 

Keith

 

Ramps would just encourage them more.................

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  • 2 weeks later...

Earlier today.  BBC Spotlight reported a level crossing collision, showing very briefly a picture of a DMU buried into the left hand side of a courier van. 

 

The local paper reports:-  https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/plymouth-news/live-trains-plymouth-gunnislake-cancelled-2325675

 

I'm not sure why they had to show an HST in their illustration.  The usual charabanc on this quiet branch line is either a two-car 150, or a single 153.

 

Thankfully, no casualties.

 

John

Edited by AncientMariner
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Earlier today.  BBC Spotlight reported a level crossing collision, showing very briefly a picture of a DMU buried into the left hand side of a courier van. 

 

The local paper reports:-  https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/plymouth-news/live-trains-plymouth-gunnislake-cancelled-2325675

 

I'm not sure why they had to show an HST in their illustration.  The usual charabanc on this quiet branch line is either a two-car 150, or a single 153.

 

Thankfully, no casualties.

 

John

 

BBC link here https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-46557886

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