Article: One dead as train hits garbage truck at north Qld station

[ozbob]

From the Cairns Post click here!

This has to stop

This has to stop

Thursday, January 8, 2009

? The Cairns Post

A TRAFFIC survey conducted by The Cairns Post yesterday found one car every two minutes ignored the stop sign at the rail crossing on Minnie St.

Twenty cars between 2.02pm and 2.39pm ignored the stop sign and crossed the tracks, which are not equipped with flashing lights or boom gates.

The blase attitude towards safety at the Minnie St lines comes despite three deaths on North Queensland rail crossings in less than two months.

Far Northern Region traffic co-ordinator Insp Bob Waters expressed frustration at the figures, which he said showed motorists were not getting the message.

"Given what has been experienced since November 27 with the tilt train and the other accident on January 1 this year, it seems this message is not getting through to people," he said. "Evidently, it's falling on deaf ears.

"Whether the crossing is governed by boom gates or stop signs, the rules must be obeyed. These trains can't stop in a short amount of time.

Insp Waters said motorists would be fined $300 and docked three points if police caught them not obeying stop signs at crossings.

"The ultimate price people can pay is with their lives or with a serious injury," he said.

"That is much worse than a fine."

A Queensland Rail spokesman condemned the actions and said it was time motorists started to get the message.

"We are exasperated that despite all the publicity surrounding level crossing incidents, people are still not getting the message," he said. "It's truly beyond belief."

The alarming survey comes as the Transport Workers? Union yesterday met Queensland Rail, Tram and Bus Union representatives in a bid to come up with preventative safety measures for rail crossings.

TWU branch secretary Hughie Williams said a meeting to further discuss the issue will be sought with Transport Minister John Mickel, who was yesterday accused of not doing enough to ensure safe rail crossings.

[ozbob]

Extract from an article in the Bowen Independent 14th January 2009, page 1.

What a battering

What a battering

Big Red boom gates broken 33 times

By CHARLES CEPULIS

FLASHING lights and boom gates are simply not enough to make some drivers stop at the Big Red level rail crossing on the Bruce Highway when trains are approaching.

Some truckies drive around them, while others have driven straight through them, including one only last weekend.

Additional safety measures now being considered for the crossing include putting in A. red tight camera, advance warning signs and reducing the speed limit from the Don Bridge from its current 80mp/h.

The Queensland Rail Level Crossing Task Force heard last week the boom gates at the crossing had been broken 32 times in recent years.

That number increased to 33 last weekend, with a QR repair gang moving in quickly to fix the gates. "The majority of times it is trucks," Rail, Tram and Bus Union senior vicepresident and task force member Les Moffitt said ....

[Dean Quick]

 A concrete wall wouldn't be enough to stop some drivers of heavy vehicles. For those who continue to say that more crossings should be
protected with boom gates etc, do you still think that will change driver behaviour? Only massive increases in fines and demerit points as well as
the threat of possible gaol terms will strike a chord with these ignorant drivers behind the wheel.

If more freight was on the rail where it should be there would be a lot less heavy vehicles terrorising our roads!!!
Its time to stop subsidising heavy road users.
Its time to get tough with heavy road users who disregard fatigue laws.
Its time heavy road vehicle registration was increased to pay for the damage caused.