DANGEROUS CROSSINGS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1864, 25 September 1913, Page 8

DANGEROUS CROSSINGS.

AUTOMATIC SAFETY APPLIANCES.

In his annual Statement presented to Parliament yesterday, tho Hon. W. H. Hcrries (Minister for Railways) outlines his proposals in regard to minimising the danger to members of the public at level railway crossings. "Tho advent of road motor-vehicles," ho remarks, "has materially altered the conditions that existed ill respect to rail-way-crossings when horses and bullocks provided tho principal form of traction. The high rato of speed at which drivers of motor-vehicles drive over the public roads and dash over railway-crossings is a menace not only to the occupants of tho cars, but to other parsons who are using tlio road and to trains running on tho railway. During tho past year there have been a number of accidents on railway-crossings, some, unfortunately, attended witli loss of life and severe personal injury to occupants of motor-cars driven on to crossings in tho face of approaching trains.

"As tha use of the motor-car extends, theso risks will increase; and, with a viow to providing additional safeguards, I have given instructions for tho designing of automatic signals for use on railway level crossings. It is quite feasible to provido such appliances, and it is proposed to install them on tlio busier crossings only at the outset, afterwards extending their use to additional crossings after practical experience has demonstrated the reliability and usefulness of tho appliances. Automatic appliances of every kind aro, however, liablo to fail occasionally, 110 matter what caro and attention is bestowed on their upkeep. The interests of tho Stato must bo safeguarded in this respect before any expenditure is incurred in erecting automatic alarms.

"The necessary legislation will be/introduced this session. In view of tho indifferonco , persons in charge of vehicles display when approaching rail-way-crossings, and their disregard of warning bells, sign-posts, and even tho signals of crossing-keepers, moro stringent measures will require to bo adopted in the interests of public safety and heavior penalties bo pressed for in future cases where breaches of tho by-laws aro committed."