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

[taliesin@NOSPAMchariot.net.au (Taliesin Walker)]

It is sad about her son, but in my opinion, it is the responsibility
of car drivers to take adequate safety measures at all times,
including when crossing railway lines with "inadequate safety".

A question: How many people die on Australian/NSW roads each year and
how many of those accidents involve trains?

Tali

On Tue, 1 May 2001 19:20:53 +1000, "Chris Downs"
<cvdowns@ozemail.com.au> wrote:

>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."
>
>
>
>
>

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