A project in Japan which involved the installation of blue lighting of level crossings appears to be achieving good results in deterring those who are suicidal from taking their lives on the railway. The blue lighting is presently installed at a number of level crossings in Beppu, Oita Prefecture. The installation of the blue lighting on a three-year trial basis is intended to calm those approaching the railway with the intent of ending their life on JR Kyushu tracks.

This latest installation of ambient blue lighting follows earlier installations from 2006 on JR West and JR East.

(June 30th, 2010)

Dominique Bussereau, Secretary of State for Transport, marked the International Level Crossing Awareness Day (ILCAD) held on June 22nd, 2010 by launching a radar based photo enforcement system. This system which is the first of its kind in France has been installed at an active half-barrier level crossing in Lagny-le-Sec, Oise.

The use of a red-light photo-enforcement system is an important weapon in the armoury available for use at level crossings which cannot be eliminated, which remains the primary goal. The French response to level crossing safety issues needs to be seen against the 120 accidents at level crossings which in 2009 claimed the lives of 36 people. This level of harm can, in retrospect, be seen as a generally acceptable level of safety until the impact of the collision between a bus and a train in the Haute-Savoie in 2008 which claimed the leves of seven teenagers.

Since the accident in 2008, a national plan was developed to ensure that each of the 18,459 level crossings in France was either eliminated or appropriately protected. However, given the prevailing level of red light running, it is necessary that radar based photo-enforcement is used to drive home the importance of stopping at level crossings when the lights protecting the crossing require it rather than after the lights have been flashing for a while.

Plans call for the roll-out of the new photo enforcement system to 100 high risk level crossings across France by 2012. Lagny-le-Sec was chosen for the first installation as it is a level crossing with a history that sees it near the top of the list of bad-actor crossings in France. Going forward, breaking barriers and running red lights will not pass without the imposition of a €135 fine and four penalty points on the offender’s driving licence.

(June 22nd, 2010)

ProRail the Dutch national rail infrastructure manager, is deploying surveillance systems normally used to counter terrorist threats to protect the railway. Although usually deployed where vandalism is rife or trespass endemic; they are also deployed in a level crossing context. For example at the Verlengde Lodewijkstraat in Groningen the cameras are being used to counter the systematic abuse of this level crossing by pedestrians who have no respect for lowered barriers. Indeed, the cameras have captured images and thus evidence of those who cross when they should not on both their journeys to work in the morning and return later in the day.

(June 3rd, 2010)