Near miss - Littlehampton level crossing

[Grumpy Git]

Incredible attempt at Darwinism, the poor train driver must have nearly had a heart attack?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-sussex-64815662

A video has captured the moment two people on a moped narrowly escaped being hit by a train travelling at speeds of up to 70mph.
The pair dodged the barriers and ran red lights at a level crossing at Toddington, near Littlehampton, West Sussex, shortly after 15:00 GMT on 21 February.
The driver of the Brighton to Southampton rail service made an emergency stop shortly after the near miss, "and took time to compose himself before carrying on with the journey," Network Rail said.
British Transport Police is investigating the incident.
Insp Emma Boulton said: "Put simply - this is some of the most stupidly reckless behaviour on a level crossing I have seen in my entire career."
The barriers at Toddington extend halfway across the road to prevent anybody getting trapped behind them, Network Rail said.

 

[Deepgreen]

Yes - youths on mopeds do the most stupid things and their age makes them think they are invincible. These things incrementally lead towards more and more safety requirements (I can envisage the not-too-distant withdrawal of AHBs, for example) so that the stupid can be protected at the expense of the evolved. I do wonder, however, why we have flashing lights at level crossings - is there perhaps a perceived lesser danger than jumping a steady red light (i.e. traffic light)? Is there a specific historical reason why they flash rather than are steady (even if pairs are used)?

 

[74A]

I believe they flash because no vehicles can go past them. Unlike regular traffic lights where emergency services are allowed to pass a red-light.

 

[Deepgreen]

I believe they flash because no vehicles can go past them. Unlike regular traffic lights where emergency services are allowed to pass a red-light.

That makes sense, but I still think the risk-takers will perhaps think they are less dangerous than fixed/steady lights. There may be no case to change the regime, for the sake of the emergency services, who are far more valuable than these amoebae.

 

[merry]

Sadly, it seems the video isn't clear enough to read the moped numberplate (I tried!), so they might well get away without prosecution. Unless it was deliberately obscured for legal reasons...in whcih case let's hope the original is being used for that purpose.

 

[Towers]

Sadly, it seems the video isn't clear enough to read the moped numberplate (I tried!), so they might well get away without prosecution. Unless it was deliberately obscured for legal reasons...in whcih case let's hope the original is being used for that purpose.

They'll just claim it was nicked. Which it might well have been!

 

[Facing Back]

They'll just claim it was nicked. Which it might well have been!

A quick check of the undergarments of any suspect might show up evidence of their reaction to such a near miss.

I feel for the poor driver - I'm not surprised he was shaken. Whilst a tiny tiny part of me would have liked to see the moped clipped by the train (with no serious injuries of course), I'm obviously glad that it wasn't.

 

[zwk500]

That makes sense, but I still think the risk-takers will perhaps think they are less dangerous than fixed/steady lights. There may be no case to change the regime, for the sake of the emergency services, who are far more valuable than these amoebae.

If you're jumping a wig-wag, you'll be running a normal red light more often than not as well. I believe AHBs are already frowned upon (are new installations totally banned though - maybe not?) with incidents such as this proving exactly why - although there's an element of wanting to see the Schadenfreunde of these two being sent sprawling across the tarmac, if they'd arrived just 2 or 3 seconds later they could have been headfirst into (through?) the window of the train and I wouldn't want any passenger to see it coming, then it happen, and then the aftermath.

 

[edwin_m]

That makes sense, but I still think the risk-takers will perhaps think they are less dangerous than fixed/steady lights. There may be no case to change the regime, for the sake of the emergency services, who are far more valuable than these amoebae.

A flashing light conveys a greater sense of importance than a steady one, probably because the human eye responds to change in image (it is only able to acquire steady images because it oscillates slightly). And having two lights flashing alternately removes the risk of someone glancing at a single flashing light while it is off.

 

[LAX54]

That makes sense, but I still think the risk-takers will perhaps think they are less dangerous than fixed/steady lights. There may be no case to change the regime, for the sake of the emergency services, who are far more valuable than these amoebae.

It includes emergency services on a blue light call, they HAVE to stop, its mandatory, also the Police cannot allow traffic over a failed crossing with red flashing lights, even if the Signaller said there was not a train within 30 miles !

 

[PeterY]

It looks like the pillion passenger didn't have a crash helmet on either, not that, that would've made any difference. Total idiots.

 

[Dr_Paul]

I believe they flash because no vehicles can go past them. Unlike regular traffic lights where emergency services are allowed to pass a red-light.

One can go past them, as we've just seen with these silly lads. One may not go past them, as it would be illegal to do so.

 

[XAM2175]

These things incrementally lead towards more and more safety requirements (I can envisage the not-too-distant withdrawal of AHBs, for example) so that the stupid can be protected at the expense of the evolved.

I believe AHBs are already frowned upon (are new installations totally banned though - maybe not?) with incidents such as this proving exactly why

Never mind that AHBs remain completely acceptable for crossings like this in much of the rest of the world, despite the fact that (to the best of my knowledge) crossing users in Britain aren't really any more predisposed to jumping crossings than their fellows abroad.

I mean, I can accept the notion that full barriers with the skirts and all that make it much harder to do silly things like this, but there comes a point where it's a vast pile of money being poured into saving that last tiny handful of people from themselves.

 

[pompeyfan]

the window of the train and I wouldn't want any passenger to see it coming, then it happen, and then the aftermath.

The woman innocently walking her dog certainly doesn’t need to see that!

 

[zwk500]

Never mind that AHBs remain completely acceptable for crossings like this in much of the rest of the world, despite the fact that (to the best of my knowledge) crossing users in Britain aren't really any more predisposed to jumping crossings than their fellows abroad.

I haven't seen any greater occurrence of LX-jumping over here in comparison to when I was in the UK (there's been a fatal accident with a scooter and a train here in Maastricht recently, but that's the only one) although I do note that in general people obey normal traffic signals far more than they did in the UK, which leads me to suspect that Level Crossing misuse is generally rarer. I'm limited to one quite small city in the Netherlands though so I wouldn't take my experience as necessarily representative.

I mean, I can accept the notion that full barriers with the skirts and all that make it much harder to do silly things like this, but there comes a point where it's a vast pile of money being poured into saving that last tiny handful of people from themselves.

But this is the problem - it isn't just saving people from themselves. There's the Driver of the train, who somehow has to pick themselves up and come into work a few days later having run or nearly run somebody down. There's the signaller, who takes that call from the driver. There's passengers on the train being thrown about in the collision, there's bystanders and witnesses who see train crash. There's potentially family who have to be told their spouse or child won't be coming home again. Then there's the emergency services who have to clear it up, the engineers who have to repair the track, crossing and trains, the passengers delayed while trains are cancelled or slowed through the crossing....

Sadly, the selfish actions of just one individual have an impact far beyond what they might ever imagine. I sincerely hope the pillion passenger gave the motorcycle rider an earful for putting their lives in danger like that, but I doubt it. He probably thought it was exhilarating

 

[XAM2175]

But this is the problem - it isn't just saving people from themselves. There's the Driver of the train, who somehow has to pick themselves up and come into work a few days later having run or nearly run somebody down. There's the signaller, who takes that call from the driver. There's passengers on the train being thrown about in the collision, there's bystanders and witnesses who see train crash.

I understand this completely - and for the avoidance of doubt have been a front-row bystander to an LX run-down - so it's not something I say lightly, and I should have worded it better. Certainly I have come down on the opposite side of discussions like this before; I'm fairly sure I've posted previously that Mk 3s shouldn't need to have their droplights sealed because they should never have been built with them in the first place, for example. I just have a nagging feeling that fortifying crossings to the extent done here is quite a long way down the road to diminishing returns.

 

[AlbertBeale]

One can go past them, as we've just seen with these silly lads. One may not go past them, as it would be illegal to do so.

Indeed!!

 

[zwk500]

I just have a nagging feeling that fortifying crossings to the extent done here is quite a long way down the road to diminishing returns.

Compared to the former Eastern Bloc, our level crossings are rather soft touch! They use big anti-terror type ramps at their crossings.

 

[John Webb]

Compared to the former Eastern Bloc, our level crossings are rather soft touch! They use big anti-terror type ramps at their crossings.

I believe, from a colleague who has seen these ramps, that it's more to do with stopping vehicles skidding on icy roads when they are trying to stop for the crossing that trying to stop misuse of the crossing by those who don't want to stop! (If you follow me!)

 

[zwk500]

I believe, from a colleague who has seen these ramps, that it's more to do with stopping vehicles skidding on icy roads when they are trying to stop for the crossing that trying to stop misuse of the crossing by those who don't want to stop! (If you follow me!)

Nevertheless, it's a solution to crossing protection that would be frowned upon over in the UK.

 

[Turtle]

It looks like the pillion passenger didn't have a crash helmet on either, not that, that would've made any difference. Total idiots.

Yes. Just a hoodie.

 

[swt_passenger]

I do wonder, however, why we have flashing lights at level crossings - is there perhaps a perceived lesser danger than jumping a steady red light (i.e. traffic light)? Is there a specific historical reason why they flash rather than are steady (even if pairs are used)?

Then you must have missed all the many previous occasions people have asked the same question. Others have already given the answer.

It’s been quite a regular discussion point, probably comes up in the majority of threads about level crossing misuse…