New BT police level crossing footage.

[stewartingram]

I must admit, seeing her garbed up in all her safety gear, says to me "no common sense". It's the hi-vi syndrome, "got the safety gear, I am untouchable". I treat car drivers using lights in daytime with the same regard.

[Gary H]

Well, do the test: stand on the platform, or near a crossing, your back to the oncoming train. Once you hear it, count the seconds before it blasts past you and be shocked about the timing... (less then 10 seconds, much less then those 10 seconds...)

Indeed.

Anyone (NR employee's) see the forward facing CCTV of the supervisor with 25 years experience on the railway get caught out by a train earlier in the year? The one with track gauge on his shoulder patrolling the line?

He had his back to traffic, from the time he reacted by moving out of the way and the train reaching him was about 2 seconds! In actual fact, they believe the train clipped the end of his track gauge as he stepped down the ballast shoulder.

[Danemouth]

I treat car drivers using lights in daytime with the same regard.

Stewart,

 

I assume this is a little tongue-in-cheek. All cars registered since IIRC March 2011 have to be fitted with daylight running lights. When we bought SWMBO's Fiat last year the garage recommended we did not disable them - apparently they need to be fitted but not necessarily used.

 

Dave

[Kenton]

 

has anyone ever ridden a bike with emergency brakes?

Yes, my school mate put his hockey stick through the spokes. We both ended up in hospital as I returned the brake system as defective.

 

I don't want to give an excuse for this cyclist but could it be another example of riding on auto? Probably has done this before and never had a problem. This time catching the sight of the train just in sufficient time to brake and miss a collision. Probably will take more care but for how long before she risks such a manoeuvre again. Or similarly ignoring a road traffic red light and ending under a No11 bus or artic?

[The Evil Bus Driver]

I think it's fairly safe to assume she won't be doing that anytime soon Just hope she learned from the experience and teaches that to her kids, if/when she has some... And bystanders/witnesses too! But more importantly, I hope the driver is OK now. Because this is the type of shock we drivers can do without, thank-you-very-much!

Trust me I still haven't forgotten the bang when a guy walked out in front of my bus. Luckily he survived (I'd just pulled off some lights then immediately round a corner then up to some more lights) as i was going quite slow. Lots of blood and I still see the stain whenever I'm round there, even though it was cleaned up quite well. I can only imagine what the train driver must have thought, and I have every sympathy.

I'll never get that bang out of my head though.

[newbryford]

I must admit, seeing her garbed up in all her safety gear, says to me "no common sense). It's the hi-vi syndrome, "got the safety gear, I am untouchable". I treat car drivers using lights in daytime with the same regard.

 

Stewart,

 

I assume this is a little tongue-in-cheek. All cars registered since IIRC March 2011 have to be fitted with daylight running lights. When we bought SWMBO's Fiat last year the garage recommended we did not disable them - apparently they need to be fitted but not necessarily used.

 

Dave

 

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/safety/daytime-running-lights.html

 

My April 2013 built Fiesta has them on. I don't consider myself "untouchable".

As a lapsed motorcyclist, I considered them essential.

 

We've been down the route of bashing sections of road users many times before. My mantra is that there is good and bad in all types of road users, whether that be pedestrians/cyclists/cars/vans/lorries/buses/taxis/Volvos.... whatever. It's only ever the bad ones that stereotype the rest.

 

 

Cheers,

Mick

[Catkins]

Change of underwear too I imagine.

 

The location is on the Ely - Cambridge line, I better not stereotype at this point.

Looking at the map that is on the Daily Mail article, Waterbeach looks close enough to Cambridge to be cycle-able.

She could be a student, I find that they are normally the ones with less 'real world' common sense.

 

I must admit, seeing her garbed up in all her safety gear, says to me "no common sense). It's the hi-vi syndrome, "got the safety gear, I am untouchable". I treat car drivers using lights in daytime with the same regard.

As a lapsed motorcyclist and light lorry driver, I use my dipped beams so that people can see me coming.

In my own experience I have found that I have focused on, and registered, the lights on a moving vehicle easier than an un-lit vehicle.

[scorpion]

she might be foreign, no barrier on "her" side of the road, red lights mean nothing

 

I have seen people walking about on the track at Polish stations, free movement between countries doesn't automatically bring understanding of laws and customs

 

not an excuse but maybe a factor

[BlackRat]

Who is to say she wasn't filtering past the stationery traffic and her brakes dragged before finally biting on?

 

It's not uncommon now particularly with red light cycle boxes. Saw it first hand a few weeks ago, dusted the individual off, no harm done but slightly shaken. At least he managed to stop before riding into the oncoming traffic.

 

Poorly adjusted brakes and dodgy brake blocks.

 

Thing is is we don't know, so why assume we do?

 

Whatever she is a lucky lady and hopefully someone will learn something from this.

[The Evil Bus Driver]

Looking at the map that is on the Daily Mail article, Waterbeach looks close enough to Cambridge to be cycle-able.

She could be a student, I find that they are normally the ones with less 'real world' common sense.

 

 

As a lapsed motorcyclist and light lorry driver, I use my dipped beams so that people can see me coming.

In my own experience I have found that I have focused on, and registered, the lights on a moving vehicle easier than an un-lit vehicle.

I always driver buses with dipped beam on. We can get done if we go through the town centre bus lanes without them apparently, or at least get a very stern talking to. We like to make ourselves as visible as possible but anyone who can't see a 14 foot high red and cream thing needs more than specsavers imho. (although that wasn't aimed at the genuinely blind however)

[APOLLO]

Unfortunately there are millions of thick as pigs**t people out there. Half barriers do not help either. I think all level crossings should be full barriers, placed a little further back where possible, with more lights and audio warnings. Extend the time also. Will cost ££ & road users a little more time, but lives will be saved.

 

Brit15

[Coldgunner]

Beast, you don't have to stereotype when it comes to Fen Folk; we already know all about them ...

 

A station I pass through every day on my commute, there be strange folk them Fenlanders.

[298]

Stewart,

 

I assume this is a little tongue-in-cheek. All cars registered since IIRC March 2011 have to be fitted with daylight running lights. When we bought SWMBO's Fiat last year the garage recommended we did not disable them - apparently they need to be fitted but not necessarily used.

 

Dave

Basically it's a way of getting people too ignorant/stupid to use their lights all of the time, in case they might forget. But proper daylight running lights (that not all new cars have) are better designed as a bright array of visible light, instead of a lens that is designed to emit a beam.

 

What is even dafter are VW/Seat/Skoda cars that automatically turn on a front fog light to see round corners. When I first saw it happen on one, I thought it must have had water in the electrics, causing a short....

[newbryford]

Basically it's a way of getting people too ignorant/stupid to use their lights all of the time, in case they might forget. But proper daylight running lights (that not all new cars have) are better designed as a bright array of visible light, instead of a lens that is designed to emit a beam.

 

 

 

DRL aren't as good as they're cracked up to be. My DRL are quite bright and it's easy to be fooled into setting off at night without turning on my "normal" dipped headlights. (DRL only operate at the front - the rear reds aren't on.)

 

I can't remember which country it was, but an Eastern European country introduced compulsory daytime headlights a few years ago and there was an immediate drop in RTA's. Coincidence??

 

There are some road users that are against DRL for cars - motorcyclists. They're afraid that they may now become "invisible" amongst other car's lights.

Cheers,

Mick

[meil]

 

I can't remember which country it was, but an Eastern European country introduced compulsory daytime headlights a few years ago and there was an immediate drop in RTA's. Coincidence??

 

 

Mick

Poland - between October and April

[Colin_McLeod]

As a lot of people have said on this thread, the cyclist put her own life at risk. However why does Richard Schofield, a railway professional say, as reported by the Daily Mail:

 

 

Richard Schofield, Network Rail route managing director, said: 'This is one of the closest incidents of near miss we’ve seen.

'The person using the crossing not only didn’t hear the train but ignored the warning lights and barriers, putting her life, the lives of passengers and the train driver in danger.

 

 

I genuinely don't understand how any of the train passengers lives were in danger.  Train driver maybe if he could have suffered a heart attack from the shock.

[The Stationmaster]

I must admit, seeing her garbed up in all her safety gear, says to me "no common sense). It's the hi-vi syndrome, "got the safety gear, I am untouchable". I treat car drivers using lights in daytime with the same regard.

I agree -  when training staff in lineside etc safety (back in BR days and occasionally nowadays on lesser railways I hold up an HV vest and ask everyone what it is?  Whatever they tell me is inevitably so I tell them that first of all it is guaranteed to make trains bounce off and if they don't believe me just look at the behaviour of some of the folk wearing these things because that is what they seem to thing it means.  The other thing it does is give a train Driver a chance to se you before his train hits you but if you're really lucky it might give him time to sound the horn.

 

 

Well, do the test: stand on the platform, or near a crossing, your back to the oncoming train. Once you hear it, count the seconds before it blasts past you and be shocked about the timing... (less then 10 seconds, much less then those 10 seconds...)

 

Bound to be less than 10 seconds with some trains - an HST at full speed will still be a quarter of a mile away from you 7.5 seconds before it passes you and you won't hear a thing if the wind's in the wrong direction; and i wouldn't recommend standing anywhere near it at all, those yellow lines on the station platforms are right on the limit from what I've seen at some places.  In all these things whatever sort of gear you're given there is always one critically important thing - always stay frightened of moving trains and what they can do to you, keep wary of them and you should last, get over familiar or slap happy and there's a good chance you'll be in a black plastic sack instead of orange overalls (they'll get ripped off, even socks can get ripped off).

[Bezzy Oppo]

Sorry. I'm not buying it. Incredibly fishy.

 

From the identity obscuring attire (wasn't a cold day) and the predetermined lock up brake point, to the ridiculously melodramatic brow mop.

 

Nope; perp is probably making a fortune spreadbetting this as a viral.

[The Stationmaster]

As a lot of people have said on this thread, the cyclist put her own life at risk. However why does Richard Schofield, a railway professional say, as reported by the Daily Mail:

 

 

 

I genuinely don't understand how any of the train passengers lives were in danger.  Train driver maybe if he could have suffered a heart attack from the shock.

Bike gets tangled up with something on train, dislodges something which flies up and breaks a train window or even derails a vehicle/the train.  That is why staff are not supposed to leave even light tools anywhere near a passing train - things could get whipped up in thh slipstream and hit them or the train.

[Xerces Fobe2]

How can the cyclist be in the wrong as they are allowed to break the all the rules of the Highway Code with impunity in the UK. Let's start prosecuting train drivers and the passengers for not being more careful and having the audacity to get in the cyclists way!

 

XF

[kevinlms]

she might be foreign, no barrier on "her" side of the road, red lights mean nothing

 

I have seen people walking about on the track at Polish stations, free movement between countries doesn't automatically bring understanding of laws and customs

 

not an excuse but maybe a factor

But she was riding down the centre line of the road - presumably to go around the barrier, a deliberate act, regardless if 'foreign'.

[kevinlms]

Unfortunately there are millions of thick as pigs**t people out there. Half barriers do not help either. I think all level crossings should be full barriers, placed a little further back where possible, with more lights and audio warnings. Extend the time also. Will cost ££ & road users a little more time, but lives will be saved.

 

Brit15

Disagree, if the wait is made longer, you'll INCREASE the likely hood of people beating the barrier, not lessen it. If people are stupid, they're going to remain so.

[SRman]

Full barriers have more chance of trapping people/vehicles too. And for determined idiots, like the pedestrian in Queensland recently (posted elsewhere in the forum), the barriers don't stop them anyway, they just force their way through.

There is only so much that can be done, the rest is up to people to use common sense ("What's that?", I hear you ask - something sadly lacking for some people, as the videos prove!).Of course, it's these same idiots (I'd really like to use a much stronger word to describe them) who then turn around and sue the state, trying to blame anyone or everyone but themselves.

[Eggesford box]

Indeed.

Anyone (NR employee's) see the forward facing CCTV of the supervisor with 25 years experience on the railway get caught out by a train earlier in the year? The one with track gauge on his shoulder patrolling the line?

He had his back to traffic, from the time he reacted by moving out of the way and the train reaching him was about 2 seconds! In actual fact, they believe the train clipped the end of his track gauge as he stepped down the ballast shoulder.

Yes I did, and I got him his job on the railway in the first place! Its a small world as the train driver involved is the father of one of the S&T staff here at Banbury.

[Eggesford box]

Bike gets tangled up with something on train, dislodges something which flies up and breaks a train window or even derails a vehicle/the train.  That is why staff are not supposed to leave even light tools anywhere near a passing train - things could get whipped up in thh slipstream and hit them or the train.

I can remember going out to one incident. The gang where working on the track, they had plenty of warning time but in helping move one piece of kit clear one of the gang forgot about his ballast fork. The train clipped it, threw it up and it broke the outer skin on one of the passenger windows. It does not take much imagination to see how easily things could have turned out much worse.