Photo: Network Rail
Whenever you feel too pressed for time at a level crossing and consider dashing through before the barrier closes, think of your safety first. Is risking your life worth the few seconds you save by ignoring the warning lights and alarm?
The answer is no, it isn’t. Of the 86 incidents reported by the Network Rail in Dorset in 2017, almost 30 of them happened at a crossing west of Bournemouth. It’s considered a very dangerous level crossing, because cyclists and pedestrians repeatedly misuse it.
So the Network Rail is making the most of a very bad situation, by releasing CCTV footage from the crossing on Poole High Street and showing the many instances in which cyclists and pedestrians could have easily been harmed for not paying attention to the signals.
You can find the video embedded below. Indeed, it shows several cyclists being knocked in the head by the barrier closing and even more pedestrians rushing to make it to the other side before the train comes, very closely avoiding a bigger tragedy. Authorities are trying to make sure many of these offenders won’t make the same mistake again.
“The cyclists and pedestrians from this footage were extremely lucky to have avoided serious harm – the consequences could have been so much worse,” Sam Pead, Network Rail’s level crossing manager for the region, tells ITV News.
“Incidents of this nature, particularly where people think they can make it over the level crossing before the barrier closes, are worryingly common in Dorset- particularly at Poole High Street- and we are working with local authorities to educate people on the dangers of deliberately misusing crossings,” Pead adds. “There are no excuses for attempting to use level crossing when the lowering sequence is active - it’s not just potential criminal proceedings that you’re risking, it’s also your life.”
So the Network Rail is making the most of a very bad situation, by releasing CCTV footage from the crossing on Poole High Street and showing the many instances in which cyclists and pedestrians could have easily been harmed for not paying attention to the signals.
You can find the video embedded below. Indeed, it shows several cyclists being knocked in the head by the barrier closing and even more pedestrians rushing to make it to the other side before the train comes, very closely avoiding a bigger tragedy. Authorities are trying to make sure many of these offenders won’t make the same mistake again.
“The cyclists and pedestrians from this footage were extremely lucky to have avoided serious harm – the consequences could have been so much worse,” Sam Pead, Network Rail’s level crossing manager for the region, tells ITV News.
“Incidents of this nature, particularly where people think they can make it over the level crossing before the barrier closes, are worryingly common in Dorset- particularly at Poole High Street- and we are working with local authorities to educate people on the dangers of deliberately misusing crossings,” Pead adds. “There are no excuses for attempting to use level crossing when the lowering sequence is active - it’s not just potential criminal proceedings that you’re risking, it’s also your life.”
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