Thursday, April 23, 2009

NEAR MISSES: Tide Mills UWC


Network Rail has installed CCTV and additional signage at a crossing which has seen three near misses in a week. Train drivers have had to carry out emergency stops to avoid collisions on the Tide Mills user worked crossing near Newhaven, East Sussex.

Photo (c) Kevin Gordon at Geograph

ABUSE / PROSECUTION: Paignton MCB

Pedestrians and motorists continue to abuse the manual barrier crossing in Paignton, Devon.

Identified as one of the most abused crossings in the south west region, officials from Network Rail and British Transport Police ran an awareness session at Paignton in April - and witnessed six pedestrians running across after the lights and klaxons had triggered.

Between twenty and twenty five incidents of abuse are recorded at Paignton crossing every year. In February a woman driver was fined £190 and given three penalty points after pleading guilty to failing to stop at the red light there. Magistrates heard that local resident Margaret Powell was spotted slowing down as she approached the crossing then accelerating across the crossing.

Friday, April 03, 2009

INCIDENT: Eyton Lane AHB, Baschurch, Shropshire 03.04.09


A cyclist was killed after being struck by a train in Shropshire. Jonnie Woodhall, a competition cyclist and former tobogganing world record holder, was hit by a Birmingham-Chester passenger service on the automatic half-barrier crossing at Eyton Lane, Baschurch.

The RSSB reported that Mr Woodhall had attempted to zig-zag around the barriers.

Photo (c) Row17 on Flickr

Thursday, April 02, 2009

INCIDENT: Peth Lane FP, 02.04.09

A man was killed on a footpath crossing in Tyne and Wear.

Gino Shepherd, 17, died instantly after being struck by a Northern Trains service on the Pleth Lane crossing. Reports suggest that Mr Shepherd had been listening to a music player and may have been distracted by this when he crossed.

Wednesday, April 01, 2009

REPORT: Tackley UWC+T

The Rail Accident Investigation Board have issued a report into the fatal accident at Tackley station crossing in 2008. Margaret Evans, 80, of St John’s Road, Tackley, died after being hit by a train at the level crossing. She had been trying to cross the tracks to catch a train to Oxford.

The report identified the immediate cause of the accident as the pedestrian stepping onto the crossing and into the path of the train. Possible causal factors were also identified, namely the pedestrian mistaking a fast train for the stopping service which was due at about the same time, or being unaware of the train’s approach due to an obstruction created by a poorly sited fence.

Recommendations by the RAIB include improvements to the visibility at the crossing as well as investigation into the practicality of installing miniature warning lights at the location.

Both the incident summary and full investigation report can be found here.