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PostPosted: Sat Oct 03, 2009 23:15 
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Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 02:17
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Location: Highlands
Yet again
here

here
here
here
here
here

very sad ...

I reckon that in many cases the lights are not clear enough ...
I wonder if a light that was on inbetween the tracks if this would help ?
At this time of year especially, where the sun is getting very low, it subtly becomes worse.
However whether some are just mistakes this this or other errors we rarely hear.

I tend to look as I cross over these days but I wish there was clear vision in both directions before I transverse ! Many have houses nearby and it makes it almost impossible to get good vision before you commit.

The whole highland area seems to get these problems Dingwall was rife with spats of crashes just a few years back.

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PostPosted: Sat Oct 03, 2009 23:20 
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Quote:
Rail worker: 'Crossings not safe'
Graeme Macmillan
Mr Macmillan is pursuing a formal grievance against Network Rail
A Network Rail employee who had to be cut free from his car after it was hit by a train has called for barriers to be installed at every level crossing.
Properties supervisor Graeme Macmillan said he believed the 23 crossings in Scotland which do not have barriers are "not safe".
His claims followed the deaths on Tuesday of three people at an ungated crossing in Halkirk, Caithness.

Network Rail said it "rejected utterly" Mr Macmillan's claims.
Mr Macmillan, 45, was on his way to a shinty match in May 2008 when his car and a train smashed into each other at the Bunchrew crossing, five miles north of Inverness.
Like the Halkirk crossing, Bunchrew has no barrier and relies on warning lights to alert motorists when a train is approaching.

Some people have claimed that the direct sunlight can make the warning lights difficult to see.
Mr Macmillan has returned to work with Network Rail after suffering injuries to his wrist and leg in last year's crash.
He faced criminal charges following the incident, but the case against him was eventually dropped by the procurator fiscal after "careful consideration of all the facts and circumstances".

Mr Macmillan told BBC Scotland he was still "haunted" by the collision and its aftermath, which had left him feeling "depressed and suicidal".
He is due to see a specialist in post-traumatic stress next week.
An investigation by the Office of Rail Regulation found a faulty battery caused the Bunchrew crossing lights to fail on occasion, although not necessarily at the time of Mr Macmillan's crash.

There is no suggestion that a faulty battery was the reason for the criminal case against Mr Macmillan being dropped.
Mr MacMillan said that Tuesday's fatal crash at Halkirk, which killed 81-year-old Angus MacKay, his wife Margaret, also 81, and brother Donald, 66, left him feeling "angry" that so many crossings do not have barriers.

"I was angry because I know these accidents are preventable. There is no excuse - these crossings are not safe," he said.
He described claims that it would cost up to £1m to install barriers at Halkirk as "a joke", and asked: "What is a life worth? It is their responsibility and it is time they dealt with it".

Mr Macmillan is currently pursuing a formal grievance against Network Rail over his allegations that he was victimised following the crash.
A Network Rail spokesman said Mr Macmillan is employed in property maintenance, and as such his comments on crossings "lack credibility".
Motorists would not dream of going through a red light at a road junction, the consequences of doing so on a railway usually are even more tragic
Network Rail spokesman
The crossings are safe so long as people heed the warning signs, he added.
The spokesman said: "We don't compromise on safety matters - as proven by rail's safety record which is second to none.
"Our level crossings are among the safest in Europe and are well protected with a mixture of warning signs, red lights, sirens, and barriers.
"Motorists would not dream of going through a red light at a road junction, the consequences of doing so on a railway usually are even more tragic.
"We reject utterly Mr Macmillan's baseless claims - his job has nothing to do with level crossings, therefore he is unqualified to talk about the matter. Also he is in the midst of a grievance procedure with Network Rail."

Transport Secretary Stewart Stevenson said Network Rail had briefed him on the events at Halkirk.
He said: "Our rail network is among the safest in the world but, as the investigation into the causes of Tuesday's accident continues, I am determined to ensure that everything possible is being done to prevent further accidents of this nature in the future."
He said he will meet other MSPs on what further action could be taken to address public concerns about level crossings.

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PostPosted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 22:34 
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Location: Treacletown ( just north of M6 J3),A MILE OR TWO PAST BEDROCK
Seem to remember that the crossing near to my late father's house in Banavie had a two tone siren ,which could be heard from a fair distance away and came on before the lights started to flash .

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