level crossing near Bedale N. Yorks

the ferry

....flung of bike while crossing these this morning. Thankfully no traffic near me at the time but front brake snapped and still a bit sore

The railway lines are set at such an angle they must have taken down countless cyclists, has there ever been any local protests or anything?

bluecow

They are unlikely to change the line because you fell off your bike. The best you can do is bunny hop or approach them at 90 degrees (traffic allowing). Just one more hazard, along with the many ironworks/grids we encounter.
Good luck. We all need it!

OffTheBackAdam

Slant crossings are a well-known danger to 2-wheeled vehicles. One not far from me has signs warning that it's a slanted crossing.
Your fault you fell off, look where you're going and learn to handle your bike better.

iain_j

+1

Slow down, try and cross the lines at right angles, or if you can't, slow down even more. Or get off and walk across.

beverick

Unless my memory is playing tricks with me, or there's more than one crossing in Bedale, the single track crosses the road at 90 degrees. There's a bend on approach coming down quite a steep hill but the crossing itself isn't on an angle.

Too much speed perhaps?

Bob

the ferry

Yeah agreed totally my fault Spock but at least you have signs warning of the danger!

Hoping your emotionless logical mind can except that

markos1963

the ferry wrote:

Yeah agreed totally my fault Spock but at least you have signs warning of the danger!

Hoping your emotionless logical mind can except that

Have you used the crossing before? If you have then its tough luck I'm afraid. How many signs do you want put up on approach to a crossing? There are signs up anyway and common sense(does anyone remember that?)would tell you that a railway level crossing has the potentiall for danger whatever the angle of the track. How many people take notice of signs anyway, as a train driver I come across(quite literallly) idiots who break the rules on the railways whilst standing next to the sign telling them not to!

_Brun_

I'm assuming it's these that you came a cropper on? Looks pretty hazardous to me, and if there's no specific warning about the angle of the tracks I reckon you've a decent cause for complaint.

the ferry

...Thanks for that, I don't want to complain as such but i'm grateful for the message of support. I think i was a little surprised at the 'tough luck' type of theme coming through.

I'm lucky the damage to my bike was easily repaired and i just have a few bruises apparantly lasy year a cyclist was thrown off exact same place and collided head on with an oncoming car again he was lucky not to be seriously injured.

I had to wait in the cafe for other half to rescue (Aunt Sallys Bedale excellent scoff!) and the owner said there's always cyclists coming off on the same level crossing.

If we are serious about encouraging cycling surely lines at this angle should be given plenty warning - simple really.

Slim Kim

I also came off today at this crossing. very dangerous for cyclists. fortunately I only sustained cuts and bruises, could have been a lot worse.

snorri

This company manufactures products which can make level crossings more cycle friendly
http://www.strail.de/index.php?id=152&L=1

Ben6899

Yep, I know this crossing although I have only ever driven over it and never realised the actuteness of the skew (correct term). I don't cycle as often up North now, but I am familiar with dealing with the skewed crossing at Thorne (http://g.co/maps/dcpkf) and - depending on traffic - it is possible here to veer out to the edge of the lane and then back across towards where the kerb would be so the angle of incidence becomes closer to 90deg.

So maybe next time, give that a go. If it's not safe to do so, then get off and push. And this isn't me saying "tough shite, you shoulda done it like this"; it's me trying to be helpful.

And for what it's worth, I think the signing (only current with Google Maps) of the crossing skew is insufficient.

1. It only highlights the skid risk. True there is one in less favourable road conditions, but there is also a very specific skid risk to two-wheeled vehicles regardless of the road conditions.

2. The "skid risk" sign is mounted very low.

Now there may be signing prior to the Leeming Bar junction northbound exit, but that's no good if you've just left the A1 rather than travelling west from Leeming Bar itself. This is the "Skew Crossing Ahead" sign at Thorne: http://g.co/maps/v794f

melissathomas

Apologies for a ressurection...

I drove over these yesterday morning and there were some emergency vehicles and a load of stopped cyclists with one being tended to. Initial thoughts were that it was a cyclist car incident but then I noticed the angle of the tracks.

Hope you are ok whoever you were.

Good advice from Ben.

Tom Butcher

Sounds like the crossing is dangerous - googled it and on one cycle forum someone mentions a fatality due to a cyclist coming down on it - probably a matter of time until someone else is killed or seriously injured.

tiredofwhiners

Tom Butcher wrote:

Sounds like the crossing is dangerous - googled it and on one cycle forum someone mentions a fatality due to a cyclist coming down on it - probably a matter of time until someone else is killed or seriously injured.

Everything is a matter of time. If you wait long enough, you'll eventually get an elephant colliding with an ice cream truck, unlikely as it sounds.

The road and rail line have been there for decades and nobody is going to realign either of them, just in case a cyclist isn't paying attention.

Tom Butcher

I think the incidence of cyclists coming to grief on this crossing may be of a slightly higher magnitude than the incidence of ice cream vans colliding with elephants in the entire world. Of course you can't legislate against freak accidents but accidents on that crossing are not freak, they are wholly predictable.

karlth

I see you and raise you this tram crossing on the Sheffield ring road:

http://binged.it/RHkxF1

I get off and push the bike over it. It's not worth the risk.

bianchimoon

it does catch cyclists unaware, someone was killed a few years back on it, warning signs are very poor, you only get caught out once on that one, part of the problem for the unwary is that it's on a quiet fast (for cyclists) ever so slightly downhill gradient (if travelling west to east - towards Northallerton(. If dry there's a bit of grip, if wet the metal rails and rubber surrounding them will have you off, i know of at least half a dozen locals that have been caught by it, fortunately they lived to tell the tale

Humbug196

This same crossing pitched me off yesterday. It is lethal. Like other reports, I was lucky there wasnt a vehicle in the vicinity or the outcome would have been rather sticky. I had not crossed this track before and actually the inherent dangers of oblique lines were a new hazard to me - I wont forget them in future. The real point is that this crossing repeatedly catches cyclists out; it is a mortal danger that could easily be averted by a simple sign (there are none at present).

Tom Butcher

Anyone seen an elephant colliding with an ice cream van recently ?

Pross

What exactly do people want here? It would cost millions to do anything about it, if it was an easy fix then the level crossing would have been removed years ago as they are always a major accident risk. From the Google map it would appear that you get a pretty good view of the crossing so if in doubt push your bike across. Anyone who has to ride regularly in towns with trams will encounter this sort of thing regularly. After a week cycling in the IoM virtually all of the people I knew or met there had hit the deck on the tramlines in Douglas. Some hazards are there because it's impractical to do away with them and it is up to us to mitigate against them.

Gren82

Tom Butcher wrote:

Anyone seen an elephant colliding with an ice cream van recently ?

It's only a matter of time