Barriers at Railway level crossing with cars and buss near lindisfarne Northumberland UK 96905_Level Crossing
The term level crossing (also called a railroad crossing, road through railroad, railway crossing, train crossing or grade crossing) is a crossing on one level - without recourse to a bridge or tunnel — of a railway line by a road or path. It also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way (or a reserved track tramway) crosses a road. Early level crossings had a flagman in a nearby booth who would, on the approach of a train, wave a red flag or lantern to stop all traffic and clear the tracks. Manual or electrical closable gates that barricaded the roadway were later introduced. The gates were intended to be a complete barrier against intrusion of any road traffic onto the railway. In the early days of the railways much road traffic was horsedrawn or included livestock. It was thus necessary to provide a real barrier. Thus, crossing gates, when closed to road traffic, crossed the entire width of the road. When opened to allow road users to cross the line, the gates were swung across the width of the railway, preventing any pedestrians or animals getting onto the line. With the appearance of motor vehicles, this barrier became less effective and the need for a barrier to livestock diminished dramatically. Many countries therefore substituted the gated crossings with weaker but more highly visible barriers and relied upon road users following the associated warning signals to stop. In many countries, level crossings on less important roads and railway lines are often "open" or "uncontrolled", sometimes with warning lights or bells to warn of approaching trains. Ungated crossings represent a safety issue; many accidents have occurred due to failure to notice or obey the warning. The director of rail safety at the UK HM Railway Inspectorate commented in 2004 that "the use of level crossings contributes the greatest potential for catastrophic risk on the railways." Eighteen people were killed in the UK on level crossings in 2003-4
Size: 5616px × 3744px
Location: Level crossing near Lindisfarne, Holy Island Northumberland, England UK
Photo credit: © Daniel Valla FRPS / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: barrier, car, crossing, danger, dangerous, england, english, level, rail, railroad, railway, road, traffic, train, transport, travel
