Bradford and district motorists and pedestrians warned of level-crossing dangers (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Bradford and district motorists and pedestrians warned of level-crossing dangers

5:59pm Wednesday 10th March 2010 in

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Motorists and pedestrians in the district are risking their lives by playing “Russian roulette” with 200-tonne trains at railway level crossings, it emerged today.

New figures show that four incidents of level crossing misuse were reported on the Airedale line during 2009, although Network Rail fears the real figure could be much higher because many go unreported.

In June, a pedestrian had a lucky escape after what rail chiefs described as a “near miss” at Kildwick level crossing, between Keighley and Skipton.

Less than two miles away at Cononley, there were three instances of level crossing misuse during the year – one involving a vehicle and two involving pedestrians.

And this year has already seen one high-profile incident which led to police giving strong words of advice to a 13-year-old boy who was egged on by friends to play ‘chicken’ with an oncoming train at Cononley crossing.

Now Network Rail, which operates Britain’s rail infrastructure, has released a series of alarming images showing the unnecessary risks people take at level crossings.

And Iain Coucher, chief executive of Network Rail, has called on the Government to do more to curb unsafe driving by motorists at level crossings.

He said the driving theory test should include compulsory questions on level crossings to enforce learner drivers’ understanding of the Highway Code and stamp out driving behaviour such as dodging barriers and running red lights as trains approach.

Mr Coucher said: “Motorists are too often playing Russian roulette with a 200 tonne train – and tragically some lose their lives gambling at level crossings by running red lights or dodging around barriers.”

The Keighley & Worth Valley Railway (KWVR), a five-mile preserved line that runs through Bronte country, has backed Network Rail’s new safety campaign.

Jim Shipley, a spokesman for the railway, said: “It’s a message that needs to be got across and we fully support what they are putting out.”

Mr Shipley said the big wooden crossing gates used on the KWVR, notably at Oakworth level crossing, gave more protection against potential misuse than the half-gates used at some locations on the main line.

He said: “By the nature of things, the level crossing operators on our line are right by the crossings as the train approaches so, if there’s anything untoward, they are on hand to tell people the error of their ways.

“The most common one is kids looking to play chicken and jumping over the fence. Occasionally, we get members of the public trying to take photographs and wandering off the end of the platform.

“But safety is paramount and our level of operational safety is second-to-none.”