Cars jumping Red Lights

[Angel Stevens]

Hi.

Is there a way I can find out how many, if any, people have been prosecuted for driving through the red lights at Sunningdale Railway crossing? There are cameras up but this happens continuously.

Thanks.

 

[skyhigh]

You can make a Freedom of Information request to Network Rail.

 

[Elecman]

The cameras may not be Network Rail directly but a Road Safety Partnership so any prosecution would be via the local police

 

[Angel Stevens]

You can make a Freedom of Information request to Network Rail.

Thank you.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 26 Sep 2025 ==

The cameras may not be Network Rail directly but a Road Safety Partnership so any prosecution would be via the local police

Thank you.

 

[WesternLancer]

The cameras may not be Network Rail directly but a Road Safety Partnership so any prosecution would be via the local police

good point - any cameras / CCTV ought to have a sticker or sign on or close to them saying who is responsible for them and the images they capture - I think that is who you get in touch with to ask the FoI question presumably

 

[muz379]

i'd be incliend to include in the foi request how many fixed penalty notices as well .

 

[Paul180]

Sunningdale level crossing is a full barrier crossing. I haven't seen any "red light cameras" at that crossing or any other full barrier crossing. The crossing CCTV is not normally of adequate quality or used for red light traffic offences but the crossing CCTV can be used to help identify any vehicle and its driver and that has caused damage to the railway infrastructure.

 

[Deepgreen]

I suspect that, unless there has been a significant incident, there will have been no prosecutions. The police will not have the resources to pursue 'what if' scenarios where lights have been 'jumped' but with no actual safety consequences. It is also true to say, I think, that every level crossing in the country/world has streams of drivers going through red lights with only the actual accidents meriting attention.

The issue is of interest to me, as the AHB on our road's crossing has just been replaced by full barriers (due to complete today) and the consequent major increase (roughly 20s to 120s) in closure duration may well see an increase in red light jumping. The new system, however, will not permit trains to pass until the crossing is clear, unlike now, so red light jumping may increase, but safety will too.

 

[norbitonflyer]

I have seen footage on You Tube of Camera vans operating both at the West Barnes lane crossing (between Raynes Park and Motspur Park), and the one just east of Inverness on the Aberdeen line, so it seems there are occasional operations.

 

[wiltshirebloke]

To my knowledge, there aren't any red light cameras on this crossing. The cameras on the surrounding towers appear to be set at a side angle to the crossing which leans me to think that they are for rail use checking that the crossing is clear etc. I would have thought any cameras would have to be set to capture the front/rear licence plate - would be needed to be placed ahead/behind the gates on the carriageway.

There are separate speed cameras close to the crossing, but these are too far away

 

[Annetts key]

To my knowledge, there aren't any red light cameras on this crossing. The cameras on the surrounding towers appear to be set at a side angle to the crossing which leans me to think that they are for rail use checking that the crossing is clear etc. I would have thought any cameras would have to be set to capture the front/rear licence plate - would be needed to be placed ahead/behind the gates on the carriageway.

There are separate speed cameras close to the crossing, but these are too far away

That looks like a MCB CCTV type crossing.

The CCTV cameras on the rectangular cross section mast in the background behind the crossing are used by the signaller to confirm that the crossing is clear before clearing the signals for a train. The other tall masts (circular cross section) are for the floodlights for the night time illumination of the crossing.

Only two CCTV cameras are provided, and only one is in use at any one time. The signaller being able to select which one is in use. They are aimed at the centre of the level crossing. So the picture may or may not show the red road light wig wag signals.

On older installations, they would have been and may still be monochrome (black and white). More modern systems are colour.

On a standard installation (unless things have changed), there are no recording devices.

 

[Zomboid]

I've got this impression that level crossing enforcement cameras are orange painted speed cameras. There are some by the level crossings at the Ely 3 way junction. I've seen some in other places too, but can't remember where

 

[stuving]

On a standard installation (unless things have changed), there are no recording devices.

I recently had reason to ask for CCTV recorded at a new MCB-CCTV level crossing. This was a "subject access request", so the footage had to have me in it. I was given what I requested, more or less - obviously it was exactly what the camera was pointing at.

When I looked online to find out how to go about it, NR say most CCTV is held for 30 days at most, but for level crossing footage this varies and can be shorter. I don't read that as saying that level crossing CCTV is all recorded. In my case it was actually over 30 days, but as it existed it was made available, and very efficiently too.

 

[NSEWonderer]

Hi.

Is there a way I can find out how many, if any, people have been prosecuted for driving through the red lights at Sunningdale Railway crossing? There are cameras up but this happens continuously.

Thanks.

Often annoying as it results in signals taking longer to clear and a down train, slowing to a crawl, till its cleared.

 

[D1511]

I suspect the answer to your FOI will be none.
In order for the police to take enforcement action, the cameras would need to be MTC (moving traffic contravention) approved and ANPR capable, and with appropriate road signage (the box brownie sign) and the black yellow hatching. A prosecution for a moving traffic offence legally requires this type of installation.
These look like bog standard CCTV cameras to me, probably NR's, to monitor the crossing to ensure no obstructions so not capable of producing the required standard of evidence for a prosecution.
The most that can happen here is for NR to pass the VRMs of vehicles jumping the lights to the Police, who might issue a warning letter, or pull them over and give them a lecture.
So, your FOI might be better asking how many VRMs of non compliant vehicles have been shared with the Police, and what subsequent action was taken.

 

[Annetts key]

I recently had reason to ask for CCTV recorded at a new MCB-CCTV level crossing. This was a "subject access request", so the footage had to have me in it. I was given what I requested, more or less - obviously it was exactly what the camera was pointing at.

When I looked online to find out how to go about it, NR say most CCTV is held for 30 days at most, but for level crossing footage this varies and can be shorter. I don't read that as saying that level crossing CCTV is all recorded. In my case it was actually over 30 days, but as it existed it was made available, and very efficiently too.

Like I said, standard installations at MCB CCTV level crossings were not provided with recording devices. I was trained on these systems and worked on them for many years. The railway has been using CCTV systems at level crossings for over forty years so there is equipment of various ages and types in use.

However, I last worked on one over three years ago. The crossings I worked on the most were all older systems. So, it's perfectly possible that (a), on new installations or upgraded installations they now have a recording facility, and (b) they may be adding a recording recording facility to existing systems.

 

[Deepgreen]

I drove across our newly-upgraded level crossing (Burrows Lane, Gomshall) today.

We were stopped for a train to pass, which, as expected, took hugely longer than it used to (which I can't help thinking will tempt more people to jump the lights), but the shock for me was that what appeared to be (no proof of that, though) a NR employee had parked their car on the carriageway facing oncoming traffic while he chatted to other NR guys on site who were presumably monitoring crossing performance. He hadn't even bothered to drive onto the specially-created ballasted area made by NR for the works.

The effect of this was that the road was forced from two lanes into a single lane just at the crossing, causing a queue and people stuck in the very yellow box junction that had just been painted on! Unbelievable stupidity!

Picture attached - the offending car is the green Mercedes - if anyone knows him, a word about his parking may be in order! Perhaps this is the same level of NR intelligence that saw the 'Jessie's Seat' topiary just down the line felled 'by accident'...

 

[RichA]

One of whom appears to be dressed in high visibility grey only, seemingly trackside