[NSW] Wagga victim's mother's letter to SMH

["Chris Downs" <cvdowns@ozemail.com.au>]

This letter published in today's Sydney Morning Herald is worth a read (copied
in full below).  It was written by the mother of one of the 5 dead boy's from
the Gerogery XPT/car collision.  Very sad but it also clearly shows emotion
overruling reason on safety (hard to blame the mother though, grief for her
only son).  Absolutely no responsibility allocated to the car driver however
and I'm sure it'll hit a sympathetic community nerve.

Chris

"Let rail safety show my son did not die in vain
The State Government has committed $801 million to improve the State's rail
system. How much will be spent in the city and how much in the bush? And who
cares?

I do.

My son Kyle and four of his best mates were killed in January when their car
collided with an XPT train at a level crossing at Gerogery, near Wagga Wagga.
I do not believe they were racing the train, but we'll leave that for the
coroner to decide.

They were killed by a lack of adequate safety measures: boom gates would have
stopped them crossing onto the tracks, and so saved their lives.

Last month, under the headline "Rail tragedy triggers review of crossings", a
spokeswoman for the Minister for Transport, Carl Scully, was quoted as saying:
"When accidents like that happen it means there's a pause for thought." Pause
and think about how it feels to have your only son snatched away from you,
never to return home.

When accidents like that happen it devastates a whole community, changes
families' lives forever, and leaves a huge hole in your heart and your life if
you happen to have given birth to one of those boys involved.

Boom gates and advanced warning lights are now installed at Gerogery. The
estimated cost was $180,000. Multiply that figure by 1,002 - the total number
of level crossing in NSW - and you come up with a total cost of $180,360,000.
That is a drop in a bucket compared with the total budget for improving the
State rail system.

Instead, the Government is giving $12 million to upgrade 130 crossings. Where
is the public conscience?

Next time it could be one of your loved ones.

A spokesman for the Rail Infrastructure Corporation said it was looking at a
"campaign targeting young drivers and passengers in the wake of the Wagga
deaths".

The Government should try installing adequate safety measures instead of
expecting drivers to stop on a red signal - particularly when the one at
Gerogery was so easy to miss.

The combination of the ridiculous angle of the lights, the two metre-high
grass, the dog-leg bend, the speed of the train, the stop-on-red signal sign,
the western sun shining on the second set of lights all added up to totally
inadequate safety measures.

With a Russian roulette bullet (XPT) shooting down the line at 160km/h, it is
the Government's duty of care to ensure nothing less than boom gates are
installed at each level crossing.

I haven't seen any of the 400,000 warnings that have been sent to regional
households.

It's not enough, is it? Be realistic: boom gates at every level crossing in
NSW is the only thing that will ease my mind and ensure my son did not die in
vain, along with his four mates.

What is a life worth? If you have dangerous level crossings in your area write
to your mayor, local member or the Staysafe Committee.

Petitions for boom gates should appear in your local area soon.

Take this opportunity to save some lives.

To be told your only son has been killed is a crushing blow I would not wish
on anyone. Make a difference, put your hand up and be counted.

Alison Wooden, Wagga Wagga, April 22."