Re: [NSW] Five (in a car) thought dead after train crash

[Bill Bolton <billbolton@computer.org>]

Graeme <grimegrime@hotmailremove.com> wrote:

> Sure,but not normally at 160 km h

Beyond a certain point it doesn't matter what the speed is, the
outcome for the motor vehicle are the same.  Those outcomes are
possible and do in fact occur all to often at traffic lights.

As far as boom gates being a preventative measure by themselves, there
is ample evidence from North America that their value in remote
locations is minimal, even allowing for the success of recent
education campaigns in built up areas. 

I believe that in QLD there have already been some tilt train
accidents at level crossings despite the extensive fitting of boom
gates along the route.

The Netherlands has been able to make some serious inroads in level
crossing fatalities by additional traffic control measures, such as
median strips etc, however they have few genuinely remote level
crossings to deal with due to the population density involved. So
their model is of limited application in Australia.

Cheers,

Bill


Bill Bolton
Sydney, Australia