Media centre

Monday 14 Apr 2014

Furze Platt level crossing users get safety message

Region & Route:

| Southern

Children and young people in Maidenhead are learning to stay safe on the railway by representatives from Network Rail, British Transport Police, First Great Western and Furze Platt Secondary School.

Furze Platt level crossing has the highest number of pedestrian trespass in the Thames Valley area with 22 recorded cases this year.

Where Network Rail can’t close a level crossing, it has pledged to make them safer.

From Monday 24^th March to Friday 28^th March, Network Rail’s safety team and British Transport Police held two rail safety awareness events.

On Wednesday 2^nd April, Network Rail and British Transport Police visited Furze Platt Secondary School, near to the crossing. The partners delivered several assembly talks to sixth form students.

British Transport Police had their enforcement vehicle with its CCTV roof camera in school so that students and teachers could look at the van and its equipment, use the cameras and learn about how the van is used to assist the transport police in level crossing prosecutions.

Liz Heading, community safety manager, Network Rail said: “Wherever possible we are looking to close level crossings and provide alternative means of going over or under the railway. However that isn’t always possible so we need to help people keep themselves safe. Taking part in the crossing awareness days with our partners and visiting Furze Platt Secondary school is a great way to work with young people and the community.

Network Rail is committed to reducing risk as much as possible. We will continue our focus, talking with schools, communities and other organisations to raise awareness of level crossing safety messages in Thames Valley.”

Inspector John Purcell, of British Transport Police, said: “The crossing at Furze Platt has been identified to us as problematic and we have committed resources to educating road users and pedestrians about how to use this crossing safely and in accordance with the law.

“Of course, there will always be a small minority who choose to ignore the law and days of action, utilising the enforcement vehicle, will specifically target these people as well as reinforcing the message that level crossings must be respected and used in the correct manner for the safety of all road and rail users.”

Network Rail will continue monitoring all users at the level crossing for the rest of the year.