http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-20590716
This would explain the camera van sitting today at my local crossing, obstructing the pavement in the name of safety.
But maybe someone ought to take a look at why people don't want to wait?
So trains take a lot of stopping distance. But does that mean they should have a complete priority over road users, especially given that in the majority of cases the road right of way would have existed long before the railway arrived?
My local crossing will shut for over 5 minutes causing traffic chaos, especially at peak hours, for some distance away. The trains involved aren't that busy and I'd suspect more road traffic is delayed than passengers on the trains. The most annoying thing is a few years ago they changed the signalling and rail station layout. The crossing is, as is typical in many towns, by the station. Before trains from one direction stopped at the platform and then the barriers were active. Now, the trains have a safety zone and stop well back from the platform end and crossing, yet the barriers are activated when the train leaves the last station a couple of miles away adding to the time the barrier is down. And they wonder why everyone is desperate to get over the crossing
