Roads Policing - Railway Level Crossing Safety

On this month’s Crimecall Garda Adrian Corcoran was in studio to discuss Railway Level Crossing safety: 

• ▪ Since January 2022, there have been 73 traffic incidents at level crossings around the country.
• ▪ While Ireland has not recorded a level crossing fatality in 12 years, numerous near misses have been reported.
• ▪ The majority of incidents at level crossings occur in Dublin. These included incidents at crossings on Lansdowne Road, Serpentine Avenue, Sandymount Avenue, Sutton, and Bray.
• ▪ Across the country there are 909 manned, unmanned, and automated level crossings on the Iarnród Éireann network, down from a total of about 2,000 or so in the year 2000.

A railway level crossing is an intersection where a road or path crosses a railway track. There are four types of railway crossings in operation in Ireland. These include:

• Unattended railway crossing with gates,
• Attended railway crossing with gates,
• Automated railway crossing with road traffic lights only,
• Automated railway crossing with barriers and flashing red lights.

Drivers - what you must do 

• Slow down when approaching the railway crossing
• Be prepared to stop if necessary
• Obey the rules for traffic lights
• If gates are closed, wait until all gates have been opened before moving off
• Don’t drive onto the railway until you can see enough free space on the other side
• Don’t blindly follow a vehicle across the railway crossing
• If you hear the alarm and have already entered the crossing, move through as quickly as possible
• Wait for all lights to go out and the barriers to rise before driving on 

Pedestrians and Cyclists crossing the railway 

• When approaching the railway, pedestrians and cyclists should always remember to stop, look and listen
• Pedestrians and cyclists on seeing an approaching train should wait and never run or cycle across the line in front of the train
• Children of primary school age, especially with bicycles, should never be allowed to cross the railway alone

Penalties 

There are a number of fixed charge penalty notices in relation to railway level crossing offences. The penalties are a fine of up to €160 and up to 5 penalty points on your driving licence.  

Pedestrians and cyclists who commit Railway level crossing offences are dealt with by way of a court summons.