"A DEATH TRAP."

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18303, 10 February 1925, Page 9

"A DEATH TRAP."

RICCARTON ROAD CROSSING. The necessity of a "wig-wag' danger signal at tho Riccarton road railway crossing was stressed by the Mayor at last night's meeting of tho Riccarton Borough Council. The chairman of the Railway Board wrote as follows: With reference to the freprescntations of his Worship the Mayor of Riccarton, as conveyed in your letter of November 28th last, urging the installation of a "wig-wag'' signal at tho Riccarton road crossing, I have to inform you that there is a crossing-keeper on duty at this crossing on week days from 7 a.m. until 11.40 p.m., with "the exception of Saturday, when he is on until midnight. In addition, a crossing-keeper is on duty on Sunday morning for a train from Rangiora, which arrives at Christchurch at 1.12 a.m. Th© volume of road traffic which passes over the crossing during the period the crossingkeeper is off duty is small, and in view of the heavy expenditure necessary in connexion with the large number of crossings throughout the Dominion still without protection in the way of cross-ing-keepers or warning devices, T. regret that the installation of a "wig-wagy signal cannot be authorised in tlfc meantime. "The dangerous time is when the red light is out and the traffic keeper is gone," said the Mayor (Mr A. D. Ford). He said that motorists, especially visitors, would not know the crossing was there. One man who had riao ar> accident on tho crossing said he had not seen the train, although he looked and listened until the engine was on the cattle stops. At 11.30 the Railway Department, by taking the keeper away and putting the red liccht out converted the crossing into nothing less than a death trap on a dark night. He had seen the wig-wag signals in Auckland and lie did not see why one should not be installed at such a busy crossing as Riccarton.

It was decided to apply again for . the signal.