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Children playing at level crossings
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bb21
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What are you wanting to discuss?
It's a quite frequent occurrence in case you are wondering. Dangerous but still a frequent occurrence.
It's a quite frequent occurrence in case you are wondering. Dangerous but still a frequent occurrence.
bb21
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I don't think the presense of CCTV plays a part in their minds tbh. They happen at much busier locations too.
Kite159
Veteran Member
Isn't this the one near Stamford on the Leicester - Peterborough line?
Kids will sadly be kids during the school holidays, it will sadly only take a moment of lapse and suddenly it turns into a tragedy
Kids will sadly be kids during the school holidays, it will sadly only take a moment of lapse and suddenly it turns into a tragedy
CCTV is not usually (if ever) installed at foot crossings...tho some (like this) have covert cameras.
berwicksfinest
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Yes on the Peterborough Leicester Actually Wing
The relevant article accompanying the pictures would probably have helped.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-45099112
The number of trespass incidents reported per day in the school holidays are quite shocking, but perhaps not surprising. Kids are 'bored' and do all sorts of anti-social and dangerous things, with plenty of people defending them because 'there's nothing for them to do'.
I suspect they're not trying hard enough to find things to do!
Sure, some people saying this might just be trolling forums and social media 'for the LOLs' but I actually do believe a lot of people see no problem, and if there's an accident then - as we've seen elsewhere - it's the fault of the railway for not stopping them!
I suspect they're not trying hard enough to find things to do!
Sure, some people saying this might just be trolling forums and social media 'for the LOLs' but I actually do believe a lot of people see no problem, and if there's an accident then - as we've seen elsewhere - it's the fault of the railway for not stopping them!
Islineclear3_1
Established Member
How can it be the fault of the railway in this particular instance?
Not enough warning signs/ loud alarms / no barriers. People will make anything up to blame others. Just remember the poor innocent children were just trying to have fun
. Darwinism at its finest...
eastdyke
Established Member
I totally agree that those responsible for children should be reminded periodically of the need to keep them off 'the railway'. Summer holidays would be a time of particular high risk.
Some things seem unusual about the pictures used. They are far far better quality than the usual grainy ones that we see and are also taken from around head height.
There are at least 5 or 6 different pictures when you include those in newspapers so must have been taken over a time period. There are no date/time stamps.
The crossing may be 'Wing Tunnel' footpath crossing on the line from Manton Junc. to Corby/Kettering. Linespeed 60mph, perhaps a dozen trains per day (not checked).
It is a pretty remote location, not the place that you would ever set a camera up to snap a chance encounter with gaggle of 'irresponsible' children. The nearest village, Wing, has a population of just over 300.
Anybody else share my tinge of scepticism here?
Some things seem unusual about the pictures used. They are far far better quality than the usual grainy ones that we see and are also taken from around head height.
There are at least 5 or 6 different pictures when you include those in newspapers so must have been taken over a time period. There are no date/time stamps.
The crossing may be 'Wing Tunnel' footpath crossing on the line from Manton Junc. to Corby/Kettering. Linespeed 60mph, perhaps a dozen trains per day (not checked).
It is a pretty remote location, not the place that you would ever set a camera up to snap a chance encounter with gaggle of 'irresponsible' children. The nearest village, Wing, has a population of just over 300.
Anybody else share my tinge of scepticism here?
I should imagine the photo was taken on a phone by a member of the public using the crossing. I don’t see how the number of trains per day makes much difference, they’re still just as deadly.I totally agree that those responsible for children should be reminded periodically of the need to keep them off 'the railway'. Summer holidays would be a time of particular high risk.
Some things seem unusual about the pictures used. They are far far better quality than the usual grainy ones that we see and are also taken from around head height.
There are at least 5 or 6 different pictures when you include those in newspapers so must have been taken over a time period. There are no date/time stamps.
The crossing may be 'Wing Tunnel' footpath crossing on the line from Manton Junc. to Corby/Kettering. Linespeed 60mph, perhaps a dozen trains per day (not checked).
It is a pretty remote location, not the place that you would ever set a camera up to snap a chance encounter with gaggle of 'irresponsible' children. The nearest village, Wing, has a population of just over 300.
Anybody else share my tinge of scepticism here?
Anybody else share my tinge of scepticism here?
Yes. The photos look like they've been taken by Network Rail as an example of what not to let your children do, which is fair enough (and I'm assuming if NR took them that all the relevant steps had been taken to ensure it was safe to do so) but it's a bit clumsily done.
Also, "Level crossings are there to keep you safe" is a strange thing to say isn't it? They're there to allow pedestrians or vehicles to get across the line, and are largely recognised as the least safe way for that to happen as far as I can tell.
It isn't, but look at the case of the dad defending allowing his kid to hang over the edge of a platform. It would be argued that it was safe because the kids on the crossing could see/hear the train in plenty of time. If they misjudged then how dare the train driver not stop in time!
The photos are obviously taken at a different time (be it seconds, hours or days) but it is from the EXACT same position. That’s either an amazing coincidence or the camera is in a fixed position. This suggests it’s in a covert position or it’s a set up by a photographer.
*edit*
Looking at the tag on the photos, I’ve looked up the website. The first thing you see is this sentence....
“SWNS creates and distributes amazing news content which drives huge audiences across print, digital and social for the world's biggest publishers.”
https://swns.com/
The word “creates” jumps out at me a mile. Haha
Big money in staging things these days. One video of a female cyclist getting abuse from a stereotypical 'builder type' and getting revenge by smashing the door mirror was staged, and sites charged to licence the content. Again, an agency that specialise in viral content that sites can use to build traffic through engagement (i.e. people discussing the rights and wrongs of something totally fake).
These people will always claim they're just sparking debate, but of course they're also profiting greatly!
This may or may not be the case here I might add, but there's an awful lot of fake stuff online.
I’m certainly not the type to wear a tinfoil hat but the underhanded way people make money in the modern era, nothing would surprise me.
Do you have proof these images were captured by Network Rail?
Why are the images copywriter by SWNS? Have they paid Network Rail for the rights?
Too many questions to take your flippant remark seriously I’m sorry.
DarloRich
Veteran Member
that is exactly why this story has been released.
is the correct answer!
You should cease with the tinfoilery and take it seriously. I suspect the pictures have come from a level crossing survey at a remote location as part of an upgrade and have been given to the media company to help drive a campaign on crossing safety during the school holidays
That or a massively tin foil based conspiracy.
Yes. I write communications articles for Network Rail and literally have the images and full story in my inbox from the level crossing manager and community manager for the local area, as I write.
I don't know exactly why but it is likely to increase their distribution in the media - pretty standard practice.
The_Train
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What I don't understand is what the attraction of sitting around on a railway is. Surely there are better places to sit around doing nothing in particular?
Probably doing it for risk, and filming it to share on Snapchat. Then someone else feels obliged to go one better.
Yesterday a group of kids decided to jump down at New Southgate and run along the line in front of a (stopping) train. I am sure they thought it hilarious.
Islineclear3_1
Established Member
Probably not in a small remote village miles away from any town. The railway is probably the only excitement they get and carries that "dare-devil" element of risk
The_Train
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I can see that I guess, particularly in a world where obtaining 'likes' on social media is seemed as more important than a lot of other things.
Surely small remote villages have fields that are a much comfier place to sit and laze about. I've never done it myself but I can't say that a metal rail surrounded by ballast looks like a particularly comfortable place to sit. That said, as I've said above, I can see your point regarding the 'dare devil' element
In the BBC article, the pictures and comments are attributed to Network Rail.
I'm pretty sure social media is nothing to do with it. Is the suggestion that kids playing on the line/level crossings didn't happen 20 years ago?
jamesst
Established Member
I've had the delights of a dad stopping his pushchair (with child in) on the 4 foot of the opposite track at a user worked crossing so he could show the child my oncoming train. The brain department just isn't there with some people...
Pete_uk
On Moderation
I like how sometimes the police release a picture with covered faces with the comment 'we are trying to identify the suspects'.
CWM
Member
Kids will be kids isn’t the case. I live and have grew up near the countries busiest lines.
Since school, I still know of entry points on to the tracks on the way home. Where network rail has still failed to fix cut open and broken fences.
This is going back 15 years and we discovered a lot of these so I’m wondering how long ago they were discovered.
We used to have school sports lessons and used old railway buildings as markers to reach and run back to for example. None on the tracks though.
My point is, thousands of us from our school were exposed to the railway, in an inviting manner. Yet there was never an incident of anyone trespassing - we would know we all hung out together, or any injuries of fatalities.
I believe it’s education. Showing real life footage of what happens if you get hit by a train. The effects on family etc. We were never told about the effects to others journeys or finance, just the effects of how it would fall on our families. It scared us enough.
Since school, I still know of entry points on to the tracks on the way home. Where network rail has still failed to fix cut open and broken fences.
This is going back 15 years and we discovered a lot of these so I’m wondering how long ago they were discovered.
We used to have school sports lessons and used old railway buildings as markers to reach and run back to for example. None on the tracks though.
My point is, thousands of us from our school were exposed to the railway, in an inviting manner. Yet there was never an incident of anyone trespassing - we would know we all hung out together, or any injuries of fatalities.
I believe it’s education. Showing real life footage of what happens if you get hit by a train. The effects on family etc. We were never told about the effects to others journeys or finance, just the effects of how it would fall on our families. It scared us enough.
Isn't this the one near Stamford on the Leicester - Peterborough line?
Kids will sadly be kids during the school holidays, it will sadly only take a moment of lapse and suddenly it turns into a tragedy
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