THE LEVEL CROSSING PERIL.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 141, 17 June 1930, Page 6

THE LEVEL CROSSING PERIL.

The shocking tragedy which occurred yesterday evening at Sockburn draws attention once more to the terrible dangers that menace the travelling public at every level railway crossing. Within the past 10 years at least 110 people —an average of 11 a year—have been killed in these death traps in various parts of the Dominion. There are over 2600 such crossings in New Zealand, and the number supplied with any effective warning or signalling device is less than 100. Even where watchmen are provided, the protection offered to the traveller may be' wholly inadequate. At Sockburn crossing thei'e was a watchman on duty, but apparently the driver of the car failed to see the light in time. In any case, a local bug-driver describes the crossing as one of the worst that he has ever known, for the railway line crosses the road at an acute angle which mak.es the approach exceptionally dangerous. Surely it is time for public opinion to assert itself boldly and to demand that something vigorous and comprehensive • shall be done by the Railjvay Department to obviate the occurrence of these terrible tragedies. It is plainly impossible to construct overhead or underground motor ways at every crossing. But so long as traffic may run across an open railway line while" trains are passing accidents will certainly occur, and it is the manifest duty of the Department to adopt a more efficient preventive policy without further delay.