Was this You? - Cambridgeshire

daviesee
daviesee Posts: 6,386
edited October 2013 in Commuting chat
Anyone willing to argue that getting a head start was a good idea?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-ca ... e-24364332
None of the above should be taken seriously, and certainly not personally.

Comments

  • veronese68
    veronese68 Posts: 27,805
    The only startling thing about that is that it still surprises me how stupid some people are. Lucky not to be a Darwin Award nominee. She wasn't even that keen on where she was headed as she then turns and goes back the other way.
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  • owenlars
    owenlars Posts: 719
    It's mind boggling isn't it, especially given that there were gates there.
  • rubertoe
    rubertoe Posts: 3,994
    Is it Junglist_Matty in drag?

    trying to pull the wool over Gabriels eyes?
    "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got."

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  • gabriel959
    gabriel959 Posts: 4,227
    edited October 2013
    :| I actually go on that railway crossing almost every day. Luckily nothing happened...
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  • junglist_matty
    junglist_matty Posts: 1,731
    As much as I love to give the RLJ police something to shout about, even I'm not that stupid ;)
  • Ride hard
    Ride hard Posts: 389
    I don't even understand why people RLJ in normal traffic, so this scenario takes it into a whole new dimension.

    Why? Just why?
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  • fat_tail
    fat_tail Posts: 786
    Potential Darwin award nominee
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  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    Darwin award nominee maybe - but why do they enable ppl to get past by only having 1/2 a barrier.
  • ToeKnee
    ToeKnee Posts: 376
    Slowbike wrote:
    Darwin award nominee maybe - but why do they enable ppl to get past by only having 1/2 a barrier.
    Natural selection.
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  • corriebee1
    corriebee1 Posts: 390
    Not guilty. I occasionally encounter the Foxton level crossing and often the Shelford one.

    I bet she got one hell of a shock!
  • Mikey23
    Mikey23 Posts: 5,306
    It would have been ok, she was wearing a helmet...
  • daviesee
    daviesee Posts: 6,386
    Mikey23 wrote:
    It would have been ok, she was wearing a helmet...
    :lol:
    None of the above should be taken seriously, and certainly not personally.
  • walkingbootweather
    walkingbootweather Posts: 2,443
    Like the way she returns from whence she came after the incident (presumably to change her undergarments)
    Nobody told me we had a communication problem
  • Runtothehills
    Runtothehills Posts: 184
    Slowbike wrote:
    Darwin award nominee maybe - but why do they enable ppl to get past by only having 1/2 a barrier.

    Sorry, are you honestly saying that it's the fault of whoever maintains the level crossing if someone ignores flashing lights, sirens and a barriers because it is possible to get around the barrier?

    With a full barrier they allow people to jump over the barrier by not having barbed wire on top, if they did that then what about wire cutters or a van that can just ram through the barrier? A half barrier with sirens and warning lights is more than enough to indicate that crossing the tracks is a bad idea.
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    Runtothehills wrote:
    Slowbike wrote:
    Darwin award nominee maybe - but why do they enable ppl to get past by only having 1/2 a barrier.

    Sorry, are you honestly saying that it's the fault of whoever maintains the level crossing if someone ignores flashing lights, sirens and a barriers because it is possible to get around the barrier?

    Do you know why many crossings were changed to 1/2 barriers? Cost ...
    A full barrier would prevent anyone from normal entry to the crossing.
    Am I bothered about the idiot that wants to throw themselves in front of the train? No - I'm bothered about those on the train & surroundings when said idiot causes a derailment.
  • Runtothehills
    Runtothehills Posts: 184
    Slowbike wrote:
    Runtothehills wrote:
    Slowbike wrote:
    Darwin award nominee maybe - but why do they enable ppl to get past by only having 1/2 a barrier.

    Sorry, are you honestly saying that it's the fault of whoever maintains the level crossing if someone ignores flashing lights, sirens and a barriers because it is possible to get around the barrier?

    Do you know why many crossings were changed to 1/2 barriers? Cost ...
    A full barrier would prevent anyone from normal entry to the crossing.
    Am I bothered about the idiot that wants to throw themselves in front of the train? No - I'm bothered about those on the train & surroundings when said idiot causes a derailment.

    A half width barrier prevents 'normal entry': the only places that need a full barrier are those where it is possible that unsupervised children will be around, beyond that where there's an idiot there's a way. Is saving money such a bad thing?

    I get your point about those on the train, unfortunately commiting suicide by train is common and does seriously effect train drivers. Please don't exagerate though-the chances of a bike derailing a train are nil.
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    Runtothehills wrote:
    Please don't exagerate though-the chances of a bike derailing a train are nil.
    I have no intention of researching it so I'll have to take your word on that ...

    There's a similar thread running on Road General - it's been suggested that some ppl in their own little world are oblivious to red lights etc etc ...

    There is a general move to try and reduce the number of crossings as they are a known danger point .. temptation for ppl on foot & cycle to "jump" the lights is huge - especially where the crossings are down for any length of time. What's odd though is you still get the idiots jumping the lights when there's a perfectly usable foot bridge right next to the crossing!
  • vs4b
    vs4b Posts: 257
    Not me, but I do live in waterbeach
  • daviesee
    daviesee Posts: 6,386
    Slowbike wrote:
    Am I bothered about the idiot that wants to throw themselves in front of the train? No - I'm bothered about those on the train & surroundings when said idiot causes a derailment.
    Doubt they would notice unless they heard something.
    Or are we going to do the fly into the train speed theory? :lol:
    None of the above should be taken seriously, and certainly not personally.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    vs4b wrote:
    Not me, but I do live in waterbeach

    I was going to say something about those speaking of 'Darwin awards' are forgetting that this is the heartland of the Fenland mutant; one which barely resembles a human.

    Now I can't 'cos it'd be rude.



    ....wait.....
    _
  • hegyestomi
    hegyestomi Posts: 504
    Runtothehills wrote:
    Slowbike wrote:
    Runtothehills wrote:
    Slowbike wrote:
    Darwin award nominee maybe - but why do they enable ppl to get past by only having 1/2 a barrier.

    Sorry, are you honestly saying that it's the fault of whoever maintains the level crossing if someone ignores flashing lights, sirens and a barriers because it is possible to get around the barrier?

    Do you know why many crossings were changed to 1/2 barriers? Cost ...
    A full barrier would prevent anyone from normal entry to the crossing.
    Am I bothered about the idiot that wants to throw themselves in front of the train? No - I'm bothered about those on the train & surroundings when said idiot causes a derailment.

    A half width barrier prevents 'normal entry': the only places that need a full barrier are those where it is possible that unsupervised children will be around, beyond that where there's an idiot there's a way. Is saving money such a bad thing?

    I get your point about those on the train, unfortunately commiting suicide by train is common and does seriously effect train drivers. Please don't exagerate though-the chances of a bike derailing a train are nil.

    There might be another consideration for half barriers: at a wide crossing somebody stuck on the middle of the track then they have an escape route next to the half barrier instead of ramming the full one.
  • Runtothehills
    Runtothehills Posts: 184
    hegyestomi wrote:

    There might be another consideration for half barriers: at a wide crossing somebody stuck on the middle of the track then they have an escape route next to the half barrier instead of ramming the full one.

    From personal experience they have a way round that - if there's someone on the crossing they pause the barriers as they come down long enough to get out the way (I was at the next level crossing along towards Cambridge and had just got to the top of the rise, below the first barrier, when they started to close). Having a half barrier probably means you don't need to have someone supervising it though.

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