Somebody left their brain in bed that day....

[tech_guy]

Or desperately needs one for Christmas:

 

BBC News - Level crossing cyclist in 'nearest miss' with train

 

Stupid idiot!

[GeeHubb]

..and they let them vote!

 

Think she's very fortunate that she will be seeing Christmas this year! Assuming that she doesn't try pulling that stunt again tomorrow.

[twin--turbo]

she may not make it to christmas.

[CAM]

Chances of surviving a train strike in a HGV would be slim, I doubt there would have been much left to pick up when it comes to a cyclist...

 

Let's hope she has learned the valuable lesson that Network Rail mean it when they say you shouldn't run the risk. Most of the accident reports I have read in the past regarding level crossings have been down to public stupidity instead of infrastructure problems.

[sparkeh]

I particularly like the comedy brow mop after the train has passed.

 

Idiot.

[unixman_again]

Did you notice after her near miss, she decides not to cross the tracks?

 

One thing I do find interesting is the crossing itself. It has boom arms which block only one lane, like they do in Australia. I thought all crossings in the UK had gates which closed both lanes. All the ones that I've seen do.

[vortex999]

Most of the local ones near me only have a boom blocking the left hand side. The older ones have a gate where a little man runs out to open and close but these are rare.

[Gatt]

A spokesman for British Transport Police (BTP), said: "Our main priority is to make sure the woman involved is alright, and find out exactly what happened.

I'll tell you happened! She was a $profanity idiot who blatantly ignored the warnings and barriers and thought she could out-pedal a fast moving train...

Either that or do an ET and fly over the train!

"But this sort of thing is a criminal offence and people can be charged with failure to obey traffic signs or failure to stop."

Why do I get the feeling this wont happen in this case?

[Achandler]

People shouldn't need a boom arm blocking both sides of the road but in the UK we are modernising them, so everything is blocked, both lanes, pedestrian sections after those two teenage girls ran across (having ignored the warning lights and gone through a gate) and got hit by the train and killed.

 

Apparently, this is the only way to stop people killign themselves by accidentally doing everything your not meant to do and jumping in front of a train. I believe in the case above because the gate wasn't locked Network Rail had to pay compensation too.

[tech_guy]

Last November when I was down in London on the underground we had a guy in front of us jump down on to the tracks to retrieve a dropped bag - despite me and others telling him he was stupid as the rail is live and he might get hit by a train. Some people just don't think.

[AMLinington]

Going back to the 'things that annoy us about other road users' thread, this pretty much sums up the comments regarding Cyclists that pay no attention to road signs or traffic lights. I nearly had a cyclist as a bonnet ornament the other day - he was blithely ignoring the red traffic lights and sailed gamely across the junction I was rightly and correctly turning right at. It was my right of way as determined by the traffic lights, but he decided the red lights on the path he was travelling didn't apply to him. He then had the audacity to turn around and swear and yell at me!

[Davit2005]

TBH if someone is ignorant enough to miss red flashing lights, the noise of an approaching train and/or a barrier even if it is only on the side of the road they are supposed to be on

[Norphy]

Going back to the 'things that annoy us about other road users' thread, this pretty much sums up the comments regarding Cyclists that pay no attention to road signs or traffic lights. I nearly had a cyclist as a bonnet ornament the other day - he was blithely ignoring the red traffic lights and sailed gamely across the junction I was rightly and correctly turning right at. It was my right of way as determined by the traffic lights, but he decided the red lights on the path he was travelling didn't apply to him. He then had the audacity to turn around and swear and yell at me!

 

Don't tar all cyclists with the same brush. When I'm out on my bike I obey rights of way, traffic signals and signs. There are plenty of moronic drivers out there too, there have been plenty of times on roundabouts for example where drivers have completely ignored my right of way and pulled out in front of me on roundabouts. It goes both ways.

[nicholab]

Generally if a cyclist makes a mistake it is normally them that gets it and effect very few others. When I am cyclist I am to follow the spirit of the highway code I don't look at it legalistically. I have to say that any form of jumping the level crossing is stupid on foot, on a bike, in a car, Bus or HGV. Edited October 3, 2013 by nicholab

[GeeHubb]

TBH if someone is ignorant enough to miss red flashing lights, the noise of an approaching train and/or a barrier even if it is only on the side of the road they are supposed to be on

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the point about being able to hear an approaching train is that you don't hear it until it's far, far too late!

[sted]

Edited due to inappropriate quoted post

 

yes but what about the poor driver they have done nothing to deserve that on their conscience i imagine quite a few will never work again (at least in that job) and will probably spend the rest of their lives wondering if there was anything they could of done

Edited October 3, 2013 by Dos_Box

[HaleStorm]

If the train had hit her, it would have been blamed on anyone else but the "happy woman, that was friends with everyone"...even though it would have been more a case of natural selection

[SteveBentley]

One thing I do find interesting is the crossing itself. It has boom arms which block only one lane, like they do in Australia. I thought all crossings in the UK had gates which closed both lanes. All the ones that I've seen do.

 

I think it depends on how the crossing is controlled and monitored. They tend to use the half-barrier gates on automatic crossings where there is a possibility of the gates closing and trapping a vehicle between the gates. If it has somebody manually closing/monitoring the gates (from a nearby signalbox or remotely watching on CCTV) it's more likely to be a full barrier because they can take action if somebody does get stuck.

[witch]

Blimey you are hard, aren't you? All of you? We haven't even heard her side of it. OF COURSE she wasnt paying attention and being very stupid, but have you lot NEVER been distracted, thinking about something else, when you should have been concentrating?

You can't possibly say that a collision wouldnt have been blamed on her - she hasn't spoken yet.

You are all acting as if she has said that it "wasn't her fault" which just isn't the case

[sted]

Blimey you are hard, aren't you? All of you? We haven't even heard her side of it. OF COURSE she wasnt paying attention and being very stupid, but have you lot NEVER been distracted, thinking about something else, when you should have been concentrating?

You can't possibly say that a collision wouldnt have been blamed on her - she hasn't spoken yet.

You are all acting as if she has said that it "wasn't her fault" which just isn't the case

 

how distracted do you have to be to miss the barriers the flashing light and usually a siren and she had "presence of mind" enough to go on the wrong side of the road. If she had ridden into the barrier then fair enough accident but to go round it thats a choice

[HaleStorm]

True we have not heard her side of it..but she must have made the decision to move to the wrong side of the road to go around the barrier, which is the far side of the lane to where the normal cycling position in the road is.

[witch]

Yes, I know. She was stupid. But that doesn't mean she deserves to die, neither does it mean that she wouldn't have been blamed if she had.

[CAM]

how distracted do you have to be to miss the barriers the flashing light and usually a siren and she had "presence of mind" enough to go on the wrong side of the road. If she had ridden into the barrier then fair enough accident but to go round it thats a choice

 

You'd be surprised. Take this example: Rail Accident Investigation: Report 01/2013

 

A cyclist was struck and killed by a train travelling at 56mph. Irrespective of how many warning signs, safety procedures and gates placed in his way, the cyclist failed to adhere to any of them and was distracted by wearing earphones.

 

1) He ignored warnings at the crossing telling him to dismount (he even opened the gate mounted!).

2) He was listening to music hindering his awareness and preventing the safety procedure of the train sounding it's horn from working.

3) He had a hood up limiting peripheral vision to see on-coming trains.

4) He may have assumed the track was closed due to engineering work (it wasn't, and that doesn't mean all traffic is suspended since engineering trains and diversions may still use the line).

 

Because the cyclist was distracted and not paying attention, he paid for his actions with his life.

 

Have a browse through the rest of RAIB and you will be shocked to see some of the incidents that happen. From barrier dodgers to farming vehicles crossing long loads without permission. I'm amazed we don't see more deaths yet Network Rail typically get blamed for "dangerous crossings" because people don't respect how dangerous rail lines are.

[mats]

Well done AMLightfoot - I knew somebody would try to turn it into a bl00dy cyclists thread.

[E_G_R2]

cyclist failed to adhere to any of them and was distracted by wearing earphones

 

A pet hate of mine is this. You need your ears to hear whats happening around you whilst on your bike IMO