Just How Far Should We Go?

[youngmafbog]

http://news.sky.com/story/1222140/network-rail-boss-crossing-deaths-apology
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/mar/06/network-rail-level-crossing-deaths

It appears that only around 10 deaths a year are happening in the uk at level crossings. Ok, extremely sad for those it happens to but given that it costs about £1M to build a bridge or underpass on average (some more some less) and it would be virtually impossible to get deaths to 0% how much should we spend. and lets face it many more are killed on our roads.

So fares would undoubtedly rise, quite considerably. Would you be willing to pay more?

[dave50]

Accidents happen, that's life, end of story.

[ToraToraTora]

this is evolution at work, only the stupid die this way.

[Baldric]

No I wouldn't, from what I've seen in the media it appears a lot of those getting killed, but not all, are fulfilling a death-wish by trying to beat the train!

[Zeuhl]

If you put those numbers into the formula used to decide whether road improvements are warranted because of rta's then I suspect the computer would say "NO"

[mikey4444]

Not sure why fares should have to rise ? Why can't these improvements be paid out of the subsidies that Network Rail already gets from the taxpayer ?

[Zeuhl]

^
presumably they would be incremental to any works already budgeted for by Network Rail in the existing subsidy calculations. So increased charges to Operators which would be passed on to passengers.

Or increased subsidy to Network Rail from the taxpayer.

Bridges would also prevent queues of traffic at crossings but at £1 million a pop that's also hard to justify

[ToraToraTora]

i've moved to a different building now but at the old place there was a roundabout junction with the classic 4 feeds at 12, 3, 6, 9. All roads had two lanes each road has an underpass crossing 4 lanes of traffic. Sadly there are regular accidents and death because pedestrians would walk across the road to save 10 yards rather than use the provided underpass. There where often deaths and injuries. I suppose we need US style jaywalking laws for the terminally stupid, or perhaps we are just strengthening the gene pool!

[ToraToraTora]

well if I can eek an IQ point and save a life, yes.

[New Judge]

I don’t actually know what Network Rail has to apologise for. As I have said in answers to questions on this topic before, the vast, vast majority of accidents on level crossings in the UK are due to road user misuse.

There are over 6,000 level crossings, of many different types, in Great Britain. On average, there are 9 deaths, 7 major injuries and 23 minor injuries on them each year. The average number of deaths represent about 0.3% of all road deaths. Well over 90% of incidents involving death or serious injury on level crossings are attributable to user error, meaning that on average less than one death per annum can be attributed to the design or operation of the crossings themselves.

Whilst any death of course is regrettable the capital cost of converting a level crossing to a separated arrangement is enormous (on average about £1m a throw). There are far more accidents involving (for example) pedestrians at traffic-light controlled crossings or between cars at uncontrolled flat junctions and these incidents have various causes but could probably, in the main, be avoided. But nobody is suggesting the elimination of those situation at enormous cost.

[vulcan42]

Just another example of what this country excels at, a Belt and braces attitude but the trousers still fall down.

[boxtops]

I don't understand at all why there's a suggestion that NR are not treating the families of those killed with respect (that's how it came over on the radio earlier).

As has been said, many of these incidents are the deceased's own fault for trying to run the lights/barriers. From my days in insurance, I remember that if a company rectified a fault immediately because the process was deemed unsafe, it was almost immediately taken as an admission of liability. Have NR been found negligent in these sad cases?