Media centre

Friday 21 May 2010

NETWORK RAIL ASKS GILLINGHAM ‘WOULD IT KILL YOU TO WAIT?’

Region & Route:

Southern: Wessex

| Southern

Network Rail targeted the level crossing at Gillingham yesterday with a campaign to warn residents about the dangers of ignoring warning signs, lights and barriers at level crossings. 

Anne-Marie Batson, community safety manager at Network Rail, said: “The level crossing at Gillingham has up to 350 trains per day passing through at speeds of up to 60mph.  We held this event to highlight the often tragic consequences which could result from taking risks at level crossings.  It is both incredibly dangerous and illegal to swerve under or around barriers or ignore warning lights and signs, and we hope that by understanding the consequences, people who currently misuse the level crossing will act more responsibly.”

The level crossing at Gillingham experiences frequent misuse by motorists and pedestrians.  Examples of this dangerous and illegal behavior last year include:

-          Cars swerving around the barriers as they were lowering, including one which actually struck one of the barriers

-          Motorists overtaking vehicles which had already stopped at the lights once they had started flashing

-          A pedestrian running onto the tracks as the barriers were being lowered

The awareness event forms part of Network Rail’s ongoing Don’t Run the Risk campaign, which aims to educate members of the public about the dangers of level crossing misuse.  It was organised by Network Rail’s dedicated community safety team in partnership with the British Transport Police.

Throughout the afternoon the team monitored the crossing and spoke with motorists and pedestrians about misuse and offered advice and information on how to stay safe on the railway. Leaflets were also handed out that spell out the chilling truth that taking a chance at a level crossing might be the last thing you do, and pose the question: ‘Would it kill you to wait?’.

Inspector Ed Walden of British Transport Police said: “Some people are prepared to put their life and the safety of other innocent people at risk just to save time at level crossings. The majority of drivers and pedestrians respect the warning lights and barriers at level crossings but a small minority are still prepared to run the risk to shave a few of minutes off their journey time. This sort of impatience is very dangerous and we are working closely with Network Rail and other partners in the rail industry to address the problem.”

A similar activity is planned for the level crossing in Rainham on 14 June.