Drivers still risking lives at Wem level crossing
Friday 10th June 2011, 6:00PM BST.
Drivers are continuing to dice with death at a Shropshire level crossing where 40 incidents have been reported since January, officials said today.
Rail officials have been using a long-running campaign to try to get people to use Wem level crossing safely.
But Network Rail today said motorists were still acting dangerously. The firm said 28 of the 40 incidents so far this year had resulted in notices of intended prosecution being sent to rogue drivers.
Bosses said they were exploring the use of a purpose-built marked police van with license plate recognition camera technology to discover the scale of the problem at crossings in England and Wales.
Recent figures showed Wem level crossing was the sixth most misused in Britain, prompting a big safety campaign led by Network Rail and British Transport Police.
Town councillors have previously raised fears about Network Rail’s plans to automate signal boxes. They feared doing so would undermine a campaign to improve safety at the crossing. But Network Rail insists its plans would be safe.
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You state in this report that said 28 of the 40 incidents so far this year had resulted in notices of intended prosecution being sent to rogue drivers.
Thats all well and good but it should be 40 prosecution have been brought, with fines ranging £1000 – £5000, and 12mths driving ban.
We are just soft on offences,so hit them hard.Hopefully this will deter them for doing it.
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So, if this many people misuse the crossing – SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THE CROSSING!
Very few people are actually willing to take suicidal risks, but we do live in a time-pressured age.
Could it be frustration with the time wasted waiting for an antiquated signalling system that results in motorists waiting 3 to 4 minutes while a train arrives, while people leave the train, while people board the train – who are released when the train finally chugs away. Double the above waiting time when a freight train happens to be running the other way.
After all, trains are supposed to be a safe, reliable form of transport – so why do they need 2 minutes stopping time for a known stop?
I would like to challenge the propaganda that something is wrong with the motorist.
We are supposed to live in a democracy and far more people are kept waiting by Wem level crossing than are transported by the trains through it.
Cut down the waiting time and the problem will disappear.
My (motorist) time is just as significant as your (train passenger’s) time.
I await comments with interest.
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The only thing wrong with the Wem crossing is that motorists use it, and the motoring public is notoriously impatient.
The waiting time, I would imagine, includes a safety period should a vehicle break down on the crossing, allowing enough time to remove it before the train arrives.
Were the barrier to close one minute before the train was due would be a recipe for disaster. The delay is there for a purpose, and I would suggest that Wemian maybe leaves 3 or 4 minutes earlier from home, thus avoiding a delay when stopping trains are due. A few minutes delay is NOT the end of the world, unlike a collision between train and car.
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So, Colin D, you are telling me that train drivers cannot stop their train 25 or 30 yards before a level crossing despite having had a 2-minute warning that they are approaching a crossing.
No, not having it.
We are no longer in the age of steam and rail is an immensely more expensive way to travel than the car, so let’s re-balance the equation, shall we?
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