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Community Rail has launched a video of dangerously shut close to misses on the railway when folks overtly ignore the cease indicators at degree crossings.
(c) Community Rail
Though close to misses on degree crossings are declining, they’re nonetheless a major problem. Final 12 months, there have been 466 incidents of degree crossing misuse and 28 close to misses at degree crossings throughout Community Rail’s Wessex route and 258 incidents of misuse and 33 close to misses at degree crossings throughout the Kent route.
The video is being launched now as July has historically been the busiest month for close to misses on degree crossings. That is most likely due to faculty holidays, which imply extra kids are round and ignoring the cease indicators.
Throughout the Wessex route, the hotspots for degree crossing misuse are:
- Farnham = 27 incidents
- Star Lane (in Wokingham) = 27 incidents
- Addlestone = 20 incidents
- Ash = 20 incidents
- Poole Excessive Avenue = 13 incidents
- Englemere (close to Ascot) = 12 incidents
- Mount Nice (in Southampton) = 10 incidents
Throughout Kent and South East London, the hotspots for degree crossing misuse are:
- East Farleigh (close to Maidstone) = 51 incidents
- Bax (between Sittingbourne and Faversham) = 11 incidents
- Shornemead (in Shorne close to Gravesend) = 9 incidents
- Whitehall (in Wincheap close to Canterbury) = 5 incidents
- Gillingham = 4 incidents
Extra extensively, throughout Community Rail’s Southern area which serves rail passengers and freight operators from Devon within the West to Kent within the East proper throughout the South of England, long term developments (since 2017) present the variety of degree crossing misuse incidents has decreased by 15%, however the variety of close to misses has elevated by 31%.
A British Transport Police (BTP) spokesperson mentioned: “Sadly now we have seen too many occasions the tragic and life altering penalties of individuals ignoring the warnings of hazard when being close to the railway. Sadly some kids suppose the rail tracks appear to be tempting locations to play and don’t contemplate simply how harmful the tracks might be.”
One other pattern recognized throughout the South of England post-Covid reveals a rise within the variety of incidents involving canines and their house owners at footpath degree crossings, generally related to canines which are poorly skilled or not on leads. Community Rail is working with the RSPCA to coach pet house owners and the canine strolling neighborhood.
The nationwide image
Britain has one of many most secure rail networks in Europe nevertheless, degree crossings are one of many greatest public security dangers on the railway. There have been 117 close to miss incidents involving pedestrians on degree crossings up to now this 12 months – a 30% lower on the variety of recorded incidents at this identical level final 12 months.
There are practically 6,000 degree crossings on the rail community throughout England, Wales and Scotland and the one technique to fully eradicate the danger is to shut degree crossings, with 1,300 crossing closed since 2009. Nonetheless, closing degree crossings isn’t all the time a practical possibility as they play an essential position in enabling communities to cross the railway safely.
To assist scale back the variety of incidents at degree crossings, Community Rail is upgrading lots of its degree crossings by means of full closures, constructing bridges, figuring out safer rights of means, putting in new boundaries and warning techniques, or new signage. Community Rail works with companions such because the British Transport Police (BTP) and practice working corporations in addition to colleges and the local people to lift consciousness of the risks of trespassing and misusing degree crossing and educate folks on how you can safely cross the railway.
This text was printed on ianVisits
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