THE LEVEL CROSSING

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 48, 25 August 1923, Page 23

THE LEVEL CROSSING

New Zealand is far from being unique in its prevalence of level railway crossings and motor fatalities resulting therefrom. The grade crossing;; as it is called in America, is far worse in that country. According to the American Railway Association, there are 251,939 highway crossings- on Class V /railroads alone in the' Unite- State's. ,Of this number 399 were eliminated during 1919. At the same rate of elimination it will take 629 years to complete the work. It is conservatively estimated that ;ihe^cost per,; crossing would be 50,000 dollars, which- means an outlay of 12,500,000,000 dollars. . Writing to the r'New York .Times" on this.point, with special reference to Long Island, which is practically a suburban annex ito New ,York,"; Mr. George Flatow says:— pbviously, the surest and safest way to' prevent death and injury at railroad grade crossings is to: elevate or depress the tracks at every point where; the railroad crosses the public or private highway at grade. But it is .'also equally obvious that.the complete abolition of grade crossings ■ cannot be accomplished overnight, and' even were this a physical possibility how many railroads do you suppose have sufficient ready 'funds or can borrow enough/money ;to, eliminate every grade crossing along their right of way? It is safe t6 say there is not a single trunk-line road in the United States that is financially' able to carry "out such a comprehensive programme involving ( the abolishment of all its grade crossings. It therefore becomes manifestly apparent that the elimination process, v' unfortunately but ■i*ecesßarily, must be a slow one.*

<The people ■'• of Long Island are prob- ■ ably not aware that in the past twenty-, three years the L6ng Islan3 Railroad Company has> done as much, if not more, than" any other trunk-line railroad in the ■ country in the elimination of grade and the expenditure of jhoriey'^o'safeguard street- and road crossings .a't-grade, with the railroad tracks,. and,; in general, to educate the public in: the dangers involved in cross-ing-railroad' tracks a£" grade, where so many trains are: operated, and where highway traffic; ia so. heavy as it is on Long Islapd, •■' particularly automobile traffic, "which has increased by several million cars each year for the ■: past three years. '<* '■.•■'■'

There are 966 points on Long Island V'liere public streets and highways intersect the tracks of the railroad. Of this number over 300 crossings have been eliminated at a cost of approximately 2O',OOO;OOO dollars: The annual interest charge on the investments is, 1,000,600 dollars, and it represents work for safeguarding the public'and not work that produces any additional revenue or that improves the operation of the railroad except as an insurance against damage. • The company employs a total of 570 watchmen and traffic officers at crossings to protect the public from the danger of contact with approaching trains. The wages of these men amounted" "to 667,550 dollars in 1922. .This amount does not take account of nearly two-score towernien who are.employed to 6perate crossing gates from the towers/ whose wages add. another substantial sum'to the cost of protecting-the public on the highways. At 633 grade crossings there are signs warning the public to "Stop,, Look, and Listen." At more than 200 crossings gates have been installed. Some ninetyfour crossings have the added protection of electric alarm bells," 'whiclT ring automatically with the . approach of trains. The installation of crossing gates, bells, flashlights, signs, aiuT signposts, etc., costs hundreds of thousands of dollars. I

Under the circnmtances it must- surely be -realised that even though funds ■were available to take care of a larger amount of: grade-crossing elimination ""fork, from a railroad operating .viewpoint, -carrying; 'aVvwe do the most intensive passenger traffic per mile of line operated of. any trunk-line road in the ■ united it '-.would-neither -tie feasible :.nor practicable nor good judg-' iment to; carry onjmore fidnstructibn. work than is now under way. ": ' '>' :■",'■ If accidents, aggrade crossings are to he, minimised^if'iript entirely avoided, .the users ,ofMhe highways must also be willing to; ; help_. Our trains must run oil fixed treks'at a reasonable speed. ■The travellers on the highway have c freedom of routes and an opportunity of -Stopping.. Being in' smaller vehicles they should :be made to stop and give preference to ■ thefrailroad travellers, who are m large numbers, upon larger and Jieavier. vehicles, which cannot be safely \Stopped; y on short notice-or. in a short distancer ■ . • ■