More than 30 risky incidents a day at ‘danger’ crossing
THERE were 300 instances of dangerous behaviour in just nine days at a level crossing temporarily closed in 2015 over safety fears.
There were also four near-misses with trains during the July 1-9 monitoring period.
CCTV has been released showing children risking their lives by standing still and playing games at the Cotton Mill Lane crossing which is used by around 60 trains a day.
Network Rail hopes parents who see the video will speak to their children about level crossing safety before they return to school.
The crossing, in St Albans, Herts, has one of the highest risk of accidents on the rail network. It was closed in August 2015 following a series of incidents of misuse.
It was reopened after just two weeks following pressure from Hertfordshire County Council, with the maximum speed of passing trains reduced from 50mph to 20mph. Network Rail pledged to work with the council to find a location for an alternative crossing, but no agreement has been reached.
Priti Patel, head of safety for the London North Western route at Network Rail, said: “We are concerned about repeated dangerous behaviour at Cotton Mill Lane. We cannot stress enough the danger cyclists, pedestrians and motorists are placing themselves in when they don’t use a crossing safely.”