Polish Level Crossing

[presta]

Look at the barriers on this crossing, they're only fully open for one second before starting to close again, there's no wonder the van driver got trapped:


View: https://x.com/1400Yousef/status/2045155078261313796


Street view: https://maps.app.goo.gl/KQTbQYUyot7jTuj86

 

[ColinJ]

I would have driven straight through the barrier!!

 

[presta]

I would have driven straight through the barrier!!

Absolutely, it was madness to faff around the way he did, but I just can't believe the timing of those barriers, they should have stayed shut between the trains.

 

[annedonnelly]

I especially wouldn't have got out and walked around the back of the van onto the track.

 

[FishFright]

Did the lights stay flashing red ?

 

[Pat "5mph"]

I would have driven straight through the barrier!!

Me too!

 

[winjim]

OK it's a bit silly to not keep them down for that period of time but they are staggered in order to give enough time to cross. He didn't need to stop.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Lights stayed flashing red interesting enough, even though barriers went up. Seems a fault.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

Usually when I see these things, I just think

"You stupid Knut"

But given the timing there, it's an understandable error.

I guess he just panicked and faffed around for the rest of the time though. 🤦‍♂️

 

[N0bodyOfTheGoat]

No hesitation if I was ever in that situation, drive straight through the barrier to get clear of the track!

To casually get out of the van and walk to the rear of it, presumably to see where incoming train was and then mess around trying to do a multi point turn to get off the track by parking parallel... Madness imo.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

In Australia (or my part of it, at least), all level crossings are being removed, in favour of other arrangements, e.g. road going over/under the rail line. It's costing a ludicrous amount of money, though, because we had a lot of level crossings.

 

[steveindenmark]

Did the lights stay flashing red ?

Yes they did.

 

[steveindenmark]

There was obviously a major fault here because the lights continued to flash red but the barriers lifted. I wonder how that played out with the insurance company?

We all agree that the driver has no brain and should not be driving in the first place.

 

[annedonnelly]

In Australia (or my part of it, at least), all level crossings are being removed, in favour of other arrangements, e.g. road going over/under the rail line. It's costing a ludicrous amount of money, though, because we had a lot of level crossings.

I think that's the long term plan in the UK too. When they reopened the Northumberland Line last year by far the biggest part of the creation of Newsham station was rerouting the road over the the line on a bridge rather than at the level crossing. And of course, they screwed up the cycling/pedestrian provision on the new bridge

 

[presta]

At Manningtree they have a bridge and a level crossing, because the bridge doesn't have enough headroom for HGVs.