fines for driving across railroad when lights are active
Nov 12th 2012, 9:11 am
#16
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 3,396
Re: fines for driving across railroad when lights are active
Driving through a level crossing when the lights are flashing is the same as driving through a red traffic light. It may look safe to you, but it is still illegal and stupid to whether or not there is any danger at the time.
Nov 13th 2012, 10:39 am
#17
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jan 2006
Location: Perth, WA
Posts: 1,376
Re: fines for driving across railroad when lights are active
Its got sod-all to do with revenue its plain good safe practice.
Nov 13th 2012, 10:51 am
#18
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Aug 2010
Location: Not Brisbane
Posts: 1,210
Re: fines for driving across railroad when lights are active
They keep flashing until the train is detected as having moved into the next track section and there are no other trains approaching. Its called interlocking and is part of the signalling system. The lights start to flash when a train is detected a certain distance away no matter if a station is in the way or not.
Its got sod-all to do with revenue its plain good safe practice.
Its got sod-all to do with revenue its plain good safe practice.
It's to ensure safety if a train is coming on the opposite direction. The lights flash for a few seconds before the boom gates come down, so once the boom gates are up they continue to flash for a few seconds in case a train approaches from the opposite direction and they need to come down again.
Nov 13th 2012, 8:12 pm
#19
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Oct 2006
Location: Adelaide
Posts: 3,162
Re: fines for driving across railroad when lights are active
And of course they flash until the boom gates are totally up. The gates themselves are a hazard!
I absolutely do not understand how someone can not notice that they haven't finished flashing when they have been waiting for them to stop. Do you just set off at red lights because the road is suddenly clear??
Nov 13th 2012, 9:41 pm
#20
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jan 2007
Location: Victoria
Posts: 1,395
Re: fines for driving across railroad when lights are active
Indeed! Just researched a little and found this crazy situation. 
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/sa...816-24bbm.html
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/sa...816-24bbm.html
Nov 14th 2012, 9:38 am
#21
Joined: May 2006
Location: in the Sydney asylum
Posts: 20,690
Re: fines for driving across railroad when lights are active
I cross it frequently it's a pain in the ass with the traffic lights too
Nov 14th 2012, 9:51 am
#22
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Oct 2005
Location: Hill overlooking the SE Melbourne suburbs
Posts: 16,622
Re: fines for driving across railroad when lights are active
In the UK I used to cross the line at a level crossing in Sussex every day as a student. A railway worker there told me one day that the lights there had to flash until the barriers were fully up - that way anyone approaching knows there is still a hazard. Once the gates were fully up and the crossing ahead was clear no matter how high the vehicle, the lights stopped.
Made sense there, loads of double decker buses crossed every hour - if they had gone through without the gates fully open
Made sense there, loads of double decker buses crossed every hour - if they had gone through without the gates fully open
At the end of the day - it's adding a margin of error.
I would suggest this is not just Nannyism, etc, lack of common sense - it's just safe practise. A line has been drawn.
Nov 14th 2012, 10:14 am
#23
Joined: May 2006
Location: in the Sydney asylum
Posts: 20,690
Re: fines for driving across railroad when lights are active
its strange here in Vic I waited for the lights to stop flashing and got hooted by the cars behind me when I came here from Sydney, so asked some locals if the rules were different here and was told no it's just no-one waits as there are so many crossings you could spend half your journey waiting
the attitude seems to be fairly common but then i do live inner west Melbourne
the attitude seems to be fairly common but then i do live inner west Melbourne
Nov 15th 2012, 9:19 am
#24
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Oct 2005
Location: Hill overlooking the SE Melbourne suburbs
Posts: 16,622
Re: fines for driving across railroad when lights are active
its strange here in Vic I waited for the lights to stop flashing and got hooted by the cars behind me when I came here from Sydney, so asked some locals if the rules were different here and was told no it's just no-one waits as there are so many crossings you could spend half your journey waiting
the attitude seems to be fairly common but then i do live inner west Melbourne
the attitude seems to be fairly common but then i do live inner west Melbourne
