Driver blocks barrier at railway station: Now this is stupid...

[matchmaker]

Bad parking at its worst! From the Shropshire Star.

A driver put lives at risk – after deciding to park on a level crossing. The car was left at the level crossing next to Caersws station in Powys.

It was so close to the tracks that it prevented the safety barrier from dropping down properly.
The signaller had to hold an incoming train until the driver returned.


Dylan Bowen, of Network Rail, said: “The signaller could not give the train the green light to proceed over the crossing because there was a safety risk to passengers or crossing users....

http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2016/02/12/parking-mad-driver-blocks-barrier-at-railway-station/

 

[DarloRich]

oh dear!

 

[Bungle965]

Bad parking at its worst! From the Shropshire Star.




http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2016/02/12/parking-mad-driver-blocks-barrier-at-railway-station/

:roll:
Idiot.
Sam

 

[anme]

Why have they edited the photo to remove the licence plate?

 

[Masboroughlad]

Unbelievable! Surely it is an offence?

 

[misterredmist]

Surely there's a penalty for this ? beggars belief....

 

[455driver]

Why have they edited the photo to remove the licence plate?

My thoughts as well, name and shame so any of the locals delayed would know who to 'have a chat' with.

Oh yeah of course, 'they'have to protect the idiots dont they! :roll:

 

[anme]

My thoughts as well, name and shame so any of the locals delayed would know who to 'have a chat' with.

Oh yeah of course, 'they'have to protect the idiots dont they! :roll:

To be fair, it is right to discourage vigilantism. It might also be important to avoid prejudicing any legal action.

 

[gimmea50anyday]

Also to prevent the car from being cloned

 

[anme]

Also to prevent the car from being cloned

Cloned???

 

[Deepgreen]

If only the driver had put on his or her hazard lights; then it would have been fine as I believe they are intended to be used to allow people to park absolutely anywhere. At least that's been the case in my experience...

 

[Ash Bridge]

Perhaps it was one of the "I've got a blue badge and I shall park anywhere I wish brigade" ?

 

[me123]

Well, this driver is not concerned about their car if they feel it's appropriate to leave it on an active railway. I propose we therefore take the driver's car and use it for a public service announcement like this one:
[youtube]QpP7gMPzC78[/youtube]

Given that they've already abandoned their car on an active railway line, I'm sure they'll have absolutely no objections to this proposal whatsoever.

 

[74A]

I wonder if the passenger was wanting to catch the train. By parking there the driver made sure the train could not leave.

 

[DarloRich]

Cloned???

plates copied to be used on a similar vehicle for nefarious purposes. Happened to a colleague at work. His car was reported used in a robbery several hundred miles away. He was at work at the time.

 

[anme]

plates copied to be used on a similar vehicle for nefarious purposes. Happened to a colleague at work. His car was reported used in a robbery several hundred miles away. He was at work at the time.

Isn't that a good thing, in that in discourages car use?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Isn't that a good thing, in that in discourages car use?

What, the risk of cloned plates discourages car use?

Don't be ridiculous. Of course it doesn't. I have never met a driver who felt that that was a reason not to own and use a car.

 

[DarloRich]

Isn't that a good thing, in that in discourages car use?

sorry - dont follow

 

[gimmea50anyday]

sorry - dont follow

Lost me too....

 

[455driver]

Also to prevent the car from being cloned

What?
Please explain because I havent a clue what you are on about!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

plates copied to be used on a similar vehicle for nefarious purposes. Happened to a colleague at work. His car was reported used in a robbery several hundred miles away. He was at work at the time.

The relevance being?
I can get hundreds (or thousands) of car models and plates just by walking down the street, most plates are held on with double sided tape and can be pulled off and stuck on another car, putting a picture of a car with number plate on the internet wouldnt make any difference.

 

[Deepgreen]

What?
Please explain because I havent a clue what you are on about!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---


The relevance being?
I can get hundreds (or thousands) of car models and plates just by walking down the street, most plates are held on with double sided tape and can be pulled off and stuck on another car, putting a picture of a car with number plate on the internet wouldnt make any difference.

I suppose the only possible nefarious use (regarding cloning) of an internet image might be that, in this case, the car was in Shropshire and might be assumed to be locally-owned (though not guaranteed), so someone in, for example, Cornwall or Norfolk, could take a risk that using the plates for another vehicle so far away may not arouse suspicion prior to being used illegally owing to the two cars' wide geographical separation. However, I think it's a very small risk. Plates are usually blanked out by the press in these sort of images in any case.

 

[90019]

The relevance being?
I can get hundreds (or thousands) of car models and plates just by walking down the street, most plates are held on with double sided tape and can be pulled off and stuck on another car, putting a picture of a car with number plate on the internet wouldnt make any difference.

It's also incredibly easy to get plates for a car without any checks whatsoever.
I put new plates on my MX5, bought off the internet with no questions asked other than what reg I wanted on them.

 

[theironroad]

Maybe it's the angle of the photo, but if the car is straddling the line where the barrier would fall(as opposed to it being really close, but barrier would drop), then why did the signaller attempt to lower barriers at all if it was clear one wouldn't be able to lower?

 

[Deepgreen]

Maybe it's the angle of the photo, but if the car is straddling the line where the barrier would fall(as opposed to it being really close, but barrier would drop), then why did the signaller attempt to lower barriers at all if it was clear one wouldn't be able to lower?

No, it's clearly completely obstructing the barrier. Assuming the barriers are controlled from the adjacent signal box, and therefore also that the signaller had a full view, perhaps he/she lowered what was possible to prevent other vehicles crossing/stopping and possibly worsening the situation. I'm also assuming here that it is possible to interrupt the lowering of the barriers in this way, given the positions shown in the picture.

By the way, this also represents another example of local press sensationalism - the sub-headline talks of lives being at risk, then the story goes on to explain that, essentially, safety mechanisms put no lives at risk!

 

[GB]

What?
Please explain because I havent a clue what you are on about!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---


The relevance being?
I can get hundreds (or thousands) of car models and plates just by walking down the street, most plates are held on with double sided tape and can be pulled off and stuck on another car, putting a picture of a car with number plate on the internet wouldnt make any difference.

Might not make a difference but imo has the potential to make it easier for criminals.

The fundamental point of cloning plates is to get a plate that is of the same make, model and colour. Yes you could go down the street and hope you see the correct one but you risk looking suspicious or not finding the one you need.

If you trawled the web (particularly enthusiast forums) theres a much greater chance of seeing what you need and getting one made up.

 

[al78]

I wonder if the passenger was wanting to catch the train. By parking there the driver made sure the train could not leave.

The car does not look to be blocking the railway line, only the barrier, so there is, at least physically, nothing directly in the way of the train. It is a dumb place to park (although sadly little surprises me anymore when it comes to human stupidity) and yes I can appreciate that trains will not be allowed to run whilst it is there.

I can just visualise the motoring lobby looking at that and blaming Network Rail for not providing adequate parking facilities at the station (if there is one nearby) .

 

[Deepgreen]

The car does not look to be blocking the railway line, only the barrier, so there is, at least physically, nothing directly in the way of the train. It is a dumb place to park (although sadly little surprises me anymore when it comes to human stupidity) and yes I can appreciate that trains will not be allowed to run whilst it is there.

I can just visualise the motoring lobby looking at that and blaming Network Rail for not providing adequate parking facilities at the station (if there is one nearby) .

I don't think even the motoring lobby would be that crass, and, yes, there is one nearby; immediately next to the crossing - Caersws.

 

[Paul180]

Blue badge holder?

 

[anme]

I don't think even the motoring lobby would be that crass, and, yes, there is one nearby; immediately next to the crossing - Caersws.

Read the comments under the story. Car drivers are infinitely selfish and stupid.

 

[HarleyDavidson]

Used to have this problem at Chilworth when GBC allowed a whole load of apartments to be built on a former garage/hauliers yard.

There they'd park literally right up to the stop line and sometimes it would interfere with the barriers operation, so reported it to both Surrey Police, BTP & GBC as it was getting dangerous, it was also a box junction and they were also parking so you could get a car or lorry stuck on the level crossing.

The result was a whole load of double yellow lines all outside of these brand new apartments and a considerable number of £80 tickets.

Still get the problem on Sundays when the townies come out and visit the Percy Arms and just park all over the place, including in the box junction and up to the stop line.:roll: