More Level Crossing Lunacy ! Manningtree and Colchester

[LAX54]

I see NR have released footage of 2 xing incidents in Essex this week:

"'https://www.networkrailmediacentre....ot-jump-the-barriers-at-essex-level-crossings"

"DRIVERS are being warned to be patient at busy levels crossings following two incidents on the same day.

Footage released by Network Rail shows a careless driver jump the red lights at the Manningtree crossing earlier this month on the A137 Ipswich Road.

The same footage also shows a second car frantically reversing and pulling into the right-hand lane to avoid the barrier dropping onto their car.

A second incident happened on the same day about ten miles away at East Gates crossing in Colchester. A car went through the red, flashing lights and a second driver, completely disregarded the signals and dangerously raced across the tracks as the barriers were descending."

 

[hooverboy]

I see NR have released footage of 2 xing incidents in Essex this week:

https://www.networkrailmediacentre....ot-jump-the-barriers-at-essex-level-crossings

DRIVERS are being warned to be patient at busy levels crossings following two incidents on the same day.

Footage released by Network Rail shows a careless driver jump the red lights at the Manningtree crossing earlier this month on the A137 Ipswich Road.

The same footage also shows a second car frantically reversing and pulling into the right-hand lane to avoid the barrier dropping onto their car.

A second incident happened on the same day about ten miles away at East Gates crossing in Colchester. A car went through the red, flashing lights and a second driver, completely disregarded the signals and dangerously raced across the tracks as the barriers were descending.

there's no excuse for that sort of behaviour at all.

the first video the lights were very clearly on amber,and the traffic on the far side of the crossing was held up in a queue.
it's not just a matter of patience, it's dangerous driving.period.

the second video the barriers had started to come down,so I presume the lights had already had a fair amount of time at yellow/red(camera is not in a good position to make absolutely concrete evidence of this..probably more difficult to secure a conviction unless other cameras around the crossing can verify the state of the lights)

 

[Meerkat]

Is the first crossing really humped? The black car didn’t appear to be paying attention at all - it had to swerve round the van as they were going too fast to brake in time, almost losing it on the process.

I don’t get why they are showing these videos without mentioning whether they were prosecuted.
People who drive like that won’t be put off by ‘it’s really dangerous’, in fact they might be encouraged by the videos - ‘wahey, look at him go, haha’.
They will be put off by ‘look, you get caught on our cameras - these drivers got banned’.

 

[Antman]

Is the first crossing really humped? The black car didn’t appear to be paying attention at all - it had to swerve round the van as they were going too fast to brake in time, almost losing it on the process.

I don’t get why they are showing these videos without mentioning whether they were prosecuted.
People who drive like that won’t be put off by ‘it’s really dangerous’, in fact they might be encouraged by the videos - ‘wahey, look at him go, haha’.
They will be put off by ‘look, you get caught on our cameras - these drivers got banned’.

Exactly what I thought, some will just see it as a bit of a laugh.

 

[StoneRoad]

Dreadful driving in both of those clips.

 

[Llanigraham]

Is the first crossing really humped? The black car didn’t appear to be paying attention at all - it had to swerve round the van as they were going too fast to brake in time, almost losing it on the process.

Yes it is on a "hump"
https://goo.gl/maps/GW2LJRs8jeQbtszdA

 

[whoosh]

....in fact they might be encouraged by the videos - ‘wahey, look at him go, haha’.

I think it was quite deliberate that Top Gear a few years ago, used a clip of the uncoolest car (3 wheel Reliant) driven by a doddery incompetent fool, to push the idea that that's the sort of person you are if you behave stupidly at level crossings.

 

[Meerkat]

That clip of the Espace getting hit is what they should show. Showing how far the buffers go through - you aint walking away with a bravado story for your mates.
Where did they film it? I assume the 31 was remotely driven?!

 

[306024]

In the Manningtree incident it is unusual for a queue like that as traffic from the level crossing has priority at the next junction. It is also a steep climb to cross the railway on both sides causing a blind summit. However there have been temporary traffic lights for roadworks recently that would have caused the queue. Add a bad driver and it’s a perfect combination.

 

[380101]

That clip of the Espace getting hit is what they should show. Showing how far the buffers go through - you aint walking away with a bravado story for your mates.
Where did they film it? I assume the 31 was remotely driven?!

The 31 was "propelled" by another locomotive behind it. You can see it in the clip a couple of times.

 

[Alfie1014]

Is the first crossing really humped? The black car didn’t appear to be paying attention at all - it had to swerve round the van as they were going too fast to brake in time, almost losing it on the process.

I don’t get why they are showing these videos without mentioning whether they were prosecuted.
People who drive like that won’t be put off by ‘it’s really dangerous’, in fact they might be encouraged by the videos - ‘wahey, look at him go, haha’.
They will be put off by ‘look, you get caught on our cameras - these drivers got banned’.

I know both crossings and used East Gates only today.

Yes the first crossing is humped, there is an underpass but it is of low height so HGVs and the like have to use the level crossing which rises as the underpass road dives under the Railway. But they both come back together just out of shot, with the priority for traffic using the crossing. At peak times the traffic tails back as shown though if the crossing is open then traffic using it should be quicker! That said the driver of the car in question was obviously driving far too fast and recklessly under the circumstances and was lucky not to hit something coming the other way. The busyness of this crossing is one of the major reasons that the new depot at Brantham never happened the volume of road and rail traffic is just so high.

East Gates is equally if not busier, made worse by on going nearby roadworks which in the last year or so have closed adjacent roads, so long tailbacks occur but are especially bad at peak times.

That said none of which excuses poor and dangerous driving. As these incidents only happened this month I don’t imagine any prosecutions have come to court yet.

 

[Meerkat]

The 31 was "propelled" by another locomotive behind it. You can see it in the clip a couple of times.

Ah...makes sense, I had just assumed it was there to pull the first one out if it got stuck. Where was it?

 

[380101]

Ah...makes sense, I had just assumed it was there to pull the first one out if it got stuck. Where was it?

No idea where it was filmed, sorry.

 

[Meerkat]

Bit of googling comes up with Hibaldstow crossing, Scawby, Barnetby-Gainsborough.
Surprised me that they used a ‘live’ line.

In fact.....
https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/top-gear-train-crash.118077/

 

[Puffing Devil]

Looking at the white van in the first clip that has to manoeuvre out of the crossing area, after the first car has careered through, I can't see any markings to indicate the "boundary" of the crossing area. When crossing you have no idea where the barriers will fall if the crossing is activated. There should be a box junction, per the second video.

 

[Ambient Sheep]

Agreed, I watched the first video and thought it was odd that there was so little indication of where they'd fall (especially as they were some way past the crossing itself).

"What that needs," I thought to myself, "is box-junction type markings."

Then I watched the second video. "Yes, like that!"


Had never seen that Top Gear clip before; quite amazing.

 

[LAX54]

Is the first crossing really humped? The black car didn’t appear to be paying attention at all - it had to swerve round the van as they were going too fast to brake in time, almost losing it on the process.

I don’t get why they are showing these videos without mentioning whether they were prosecuted.
People who drive like that won’t be put off by ‘it’s really dangerous’, in fact they might be encouraged by the videos - ‘wahey, look at him go, haha’.
They will be put off by ‘look, you get caught on our cameras - these drivers got banned’.

Think it only happened a week ago or thereabouts, There are also additional cameras at Manningtree, so would think it would be fairly easy to prosecute, the other one, as with most CCTV's a bit iffy maybe ?

 

[LAX54]

I think it was quite deliberate that Top Gear a few years ago, used a clip of the uncoolest car (3 wheel Reliant) driven by a doddery incompetent fool, to push the idea that that's the sort of person you are if you behave stupidly at level crossings.

That video served no purpose at all, the chance to educate via a show that is / was watched by millions, just done as a 'joke'piece

 

[Ambient Sheep]

Although I had no major problem with the presentation (just with the stupid digs at hi-vis jackets), they really should take just the crash footage itself and make a 30-second 1970s-Public-Information-Film-style advert out of it.

Apart from anything else, seems a shame to go to all that effort for a one-off showing (even if we can now all watch it on YouTube... if we know it's on there in the first place).

 

[Antman]

first clip was an idiot. He wasn't going to be able to stop before ploughing into the queue of traffic, level crossing or not. In fact, he was lucky that crossing the tracks and the changes in surface didn't cause him to spin anyway.

Second is entirely intentional.

Both need banning.

 

[Jonny]

I'm surprised that no-one has tried to look at re-building it without the crossing; there is a bridge adjacent that could take some of the traffic while a TBM would make quick work of a new underbridge-like setup without causing any disruption to the railway.

 

[36270k]

The problem with lowering the road under the bridge next to Manningtree crossing is the water table, it would keep flooding.
The only permanent solution would be a flyover at the other end of the station.

 

[LAX54]

I'm surprised that no-one has tried to look at re-building it without the crossing; there is a bridge adjacent that could take some of the traffic while a TBM would make quick work of a new underbridge-like setup without causing any disruption to the railway.

It is a VERY low bridge, a transit can get under, but that is about it, Manningtree Fire Service use an Airport style Fire Tender, as that is small enough to get under, recall a good few years ago, the main machine was in for repairs/service, had a call, overooked they had a normal Fire Engine.............!

 

[Edders23]

It happens and will always continue to happen I have lots of near misses and "road rage" incidents daily because people get frustrated when they are in a hurry and the traffic is bad.

remember a story of a local incident about 20 years ago on an AHB crossing. A car was hit by a freight train and pushed along the line for some distance the freight train crew and emergency services spent hours tring to find the driver either in the wreckage or nearby. It turns out he's got out of the car run across a field phoned his mate who took him to Peterborough hospital. Unfortunately the hospital phoned the police and they caught up with him.

And of course there are some who simply don't care about the consequences like this one

 

[Peter C]

It happens and will always continue to happen I have lots of near misses and "road rage" incidents daily because people get frustrated when they are in a hurry and the traffic is bad.

remember a story of a local incident about 20 years ago on an AHB crossing. A car was hit by a freight train and pushed along the line for some distance the freight train crew and emergency services spent hours tring to find the driver either in the wreckage or nearby. It turns out he's got out of the car run across a field phoned his mate who took him to Peterborough hospital. Unfortunately the hospital phoned the police and they caught up with him.

And of course there are some who simply don't care about the consequences like this one

Blimey! The car in that video was quick over the crossing - good! The train could have killed him!
What an idiot the driver is.

-Peter

 

[Edders23]

Blimey! The car in that video was quick over the crossing - good! The train could have killed him!
What an idiot the driver is.

-Peter

might have been better if it had one less out of control wild animal for society to cope with

 

[Class 170101]

It happens and will always continue to happen I have lots of near misses and "road rage" incidents daily because people get frustrated when they are in a hurry and the traffic is bad.

remember a story of a local incident about 20 years ago on an AHB crossing. A car was hit by a freight train and pushed along the line for some distance the freight train crew and emergency services spent hours tring to find the driver either in the wreckage or nearby. It turns out he's got out of the car run across a field phoned his mate who took him to Peterborough hospital. Unfortunately the hospital phoned the police and they caught up with him.

And of course there are some who simply don't care about the consequences like this one

Seen this video before.

 

[Alfie1014]

The problem with lowering the road under the bridge next to Manningtree crossing is the water table, it would keep flooding.
The only permanent solution would be a flyover at the other end of the station.

A flyover would probably be a no-go too, it's an area of outstanding natural beauty not least as it's Constable Country. Realistically a deep tunneled solution under the whole estuary might be acceptable but the cost would be horrendous.

 

[LAX54]

View attachment 68666



A flyover would probably be a no-go too, it's an area of outstanding natural beauty not least as it's Constable Country. Realistically a deep tunneled solution under the whole estuary might be acceptable but the cost would be horrendous.

Another option, close the bridge, widen the crossing and have full barriers, getting rid of the two junctions each end of the Bridge Road, would ease the flow as well.

Lowering the road, they would end up with the same situation they did with the so called Brantham Depot !

 

[Llanigraham]

A flyover would probably be a no-go too, it's an area of outstanding natural beauty not least as it's Constable Country. Realistically a deep tunneled solution under the whole estuary might be acceptable but the cost would be horrendous.

Problem with a fly-over/bridge is the closeness of the roundabout just over the crossing.