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Level crossing stupidity...


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Mr D. Head is recorded in Birmingham weaving through the gates at the last possible second...

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-38980125

 

 

Kev. 

 

British Transport Police has not been able to identify the motorist

 

 

With all the cameras around surely he/she was caught on one somewhere nearby ? - like the one below

 

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.4915405,-2.007566,3a,60y,329.37h,84.81t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1seTxjm84MVWNbVJep98dBMg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

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Mr D. Head is recorded in Birmingham weaving through the gates at the last possible second...

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-38980125

 

Not very sensible behaviour for various reasons but unlike most of the videos in this thread presumably there was very little danger the actions resulting in anyone being hit by a train.

 

If the driver is caught what offence would he be charged with, and what would the penalty be?

 

He must have failed to stop at flashing red lights (unless they had failed) which is an offence in itself no matter what the barriers are doing.

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i recon he was touching cloth, well if he wasnt before the manouvre he probably was afterwards!

 

that crossing was one i was warned about when i learnt that route that the local scroats on foot tend to leap the barriers rather than wait

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that crossing was one i was warned about when i learnt that route that the local scroats on foot tend to leap the barriers rather than wait

 

Jumping (or driving through!) the barriers once down and the crossing confirmed clear would be potentially much more dangerous than what we saw in the video.

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Jumping (or driving through!) the barriers once down and the crossing confirmed clear would be potentially much more dangerous than what we saw in the video.

ive only ever had one person leap the barrier in navigation road ner altringham, i was stood stationary on a 150 unit and this guy jumped it in one leap then swaggered across like something out of the happy mondays or oasis being all cocky, i dont think he was expecting the metrolink tram alongside to be going in the same direction as me and for it to suddenly appear from alongside my train accellerating at a rate of knots (the driver wont have seen him initially as he was stopped futher back than me)

 

old manc boy soon got a spurt on across the other line when that appeared whistle blaring, the last i saw of him was in a heap in the middle of the road the other side of the barrier having tried unsuccesfully to leap the second barrier in one go in the panic

 

59e96e7e-e877-4871-af4d-fca79f586a06.png

Edited by big jim
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Updated 3/3/17

 

http://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/stolen-car-careers-through-level-crossing-while-fleeing-police/story-30175821-detail/story.html

 

 

Lincoln to Grimsby line.

 

Langworth crash was 'fail to stop', say police
Posted at16:41

Lincolnshire Police have described the car crash at Langworth Level crossing  as a "fail to stop". 

The car crashed through the barriers at the level crossing and collided with a Post Office lorry.

No train involved.

 

 

Edit: to add route and update

Edited by highpeakman
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I like the fact that having made

all that effort to lift the first barrier,

it decides it can't be bothered to do it all again

with the second one and just steps over/on it.

I wondered that, but that 2nd barrier looks to be low, perhaps it's already bent? Question is, where is the train? One day the elephant is going to get hit!

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I wondered that, but that 2nd barrier looks to be low, perhaps it's already bent? Question is, where is the train? One day the elephant is going to get hit!

 

Is it a 'User Worked Crossing' (or whatever the Indian equivalent is?), in which case the barriers presumably would always stay down unless lifted by the user?

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Is it a 'User Worked Crossing' (or whatever the Indian equivalent is?), in which case the barriers presumably would always stay down unless lifted by the user?

 

It should use the phone and make a trunk call to the box.

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On a bright and sunny summer afternoon in about 1974, certainly during the period between the introduction of air-conditioned mk2s on the South Wales expresses and the advent of HSTs, I was working an up Margam-Severn Tunnel Junction part fitted freight through Miskin, just west of Cardiff.  As I say, it was a lovely day, all was well with the world, and I was out on the brakevan verandah in my shirtsleeves.  As we approached Miskin level crossing, recently fitted with half barriers and unmanned, I looked forward along the left hand side of the train and noticed 2 things, one of which was a 47 hauled Paddington-Swansea train barrelling down on the location flat out and probably making the heavy side of 90mph, and the other was a Ford Crapi on the wrong side of the road revving ready to make a go for it as soon as my van had cleared twatdriver's path (I knew he was a ###### because he had a Crapi, in gold metalflake at that...).

 

When you can see what is about to happen in this way, it is easy to become transfixed with horror, but I managed not to and tried to indicate to td that another train was in the offing.  His response was to use a hand gesture which intimated that I was a practitioner of the noble art of self abuse (can I just do it until I'm short sighted, mummy?), and, as soon as the van cleared, he was off like a stabbed rat, rear wheels spinning in the 'full Clarkson' style.  I have to say that this stabbed rat move was probably what saved him; I crossed the van and looked forward to see the 47 about half a dozen wagons off and closing very rapidly.  I gave the driver the 'pulling the whistle cord' blow your horn signal, and he did, but whether as a result of seeing my efforts or having reacted to the sight of the Crapi's bonnet appearing behind the van I had no way of telling at the time.  I actually shut my eyes and listened for the bang, the 47's driver 'put the lot in' (made a full application of the train air brake and the loco's straight air brake), and my train continued eastwards at 40 odd mph.

 

There was, thankfully, no bang, and as the down Swansea cleared the crossing, the brakes had clearly been blown off and the train was picking up speed again; td and his Crapi were nowhere to be seen.  Clearly this was a near miss and not a tragedy, but it was the nearest one I ever saw.  Shortly afterwards, I overheard the Swansea driver talking about it in Swansea High Street messroom, and commented that I'd been the guard on the up freight.  He'd seen my handsignal, but too late and fleetingly to interpret it, 'just a flash', though was appreciative of my efforts as it had drawn his eye to the approaching Crapi, which had promptly disappeared below his line of sight.  He then described it re-appearing in his left window 'as if it had come out from under me'.  He, too, had had his heart in his mouth.   What range the actual miss was in is anyone's guess, but one has to think inches rather than feet, and certainly not yards...  We agreed that half barrier crossings were a pita, and that td had probably had to have his Crapi professionally cleaned inside!

 

I had regained my composure by the time the train got to Cardiff, where I was relieved.  My driver had no idea of what had happened.

Edited by The Johnster
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Can't see any misuse in the 27.01.2017 07:52:36 clip. The people there look to be behaving correctly and shouldn't be on a "misuse" clip, they are already on the crossing when the yellow starts and turning round with the dog is not necessarily the best option.

 

A couple of months back I reported a driver for jumping the lights, I provided photos showing the barriers almost hitting a car with the barriers, the red lights and the number plate all clearly visible - they couldn't prosecute because there wasn't enough evidence. I hope the vehicles in this clip were prosecuted and not just "warned"

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Can't see any misuse in the 27.01.2017 07:52:36 clip. The people there look to be behaving correctly and shouldn't be on a "misuse" clip, they are already on the crossing when the yellow starts and turning round with the dog is not necessarily the best option.

 

A couple of months back I reported a driver for jumping the lights, I provided photos showing the barriers almost hitting a car with the barriers, the red lights and the number plate all clearly visible - they couldn't prosecute because there wasn't enough evidence. I hope the vehicles in this clip were prosecuted and not just "warned"

 

I believe the BTP are sometimes wary of accepting evidence from the public regarding level crossing misuse as an aggressive lawyer like the infamous "Mr Loophole" could probably find some flaw in it.

 

On the flip side though the BTP are quite happy with the evidence of a railway official (e.g. LON, Signaller, etc) on the basis that the courts generally believe they are unlikely to have a hidden agenda thus making the chance of a sucessfull prosecution grater.

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