CROSSING RISKS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22198, 27 August 1935, Page 8

CROSSING RISKS

PLAN FOR ELIMINATION £360,000 TO BE SPENT GOVERNMENT'S INTENTIONS THREE-YEAR PROGRAMME DEPARTMENTS CO-OI'ERATE [BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION] CHRISTCHURCH. Monday During the next three years the Government proposes to spend £360,000 in eliminating railway level crossings throughout the Dominion. The programme mapped out provides for tho allocation of £120,000 each year for this purpose. This announcement was made to-night by the Prime Minister, Mr. Forbes, in a pre-sessional address at Rangiora. Mr. Forbes stated that the discussions had recently been taking place between the Main Highways Board, the Unemployment Board and the Railway Department. Careful consideration had been given to the matter from the points of view of the road-user and the rail-user in relation to the amount of risk involved in each case and also from the point of view of the Unemployment Board, which was desirous of finding full-time employment of a national character for certain classes of unemployed. Frequency of Accidents While the total number of accidents in the running of the railways was not excessive, when the total annual mileage covered by goods and passenger trains was taken into account, accidents at level crossings, Mr. Forbes stated, formed a rather large proportion of such accidents, and it was thought desirable and the time opportune to minimise these risks as far as possible. " The programme proposed for the next three years is to cost £120,000 per annum, a total of £360,000," he said. " An agreement has been reached as to the allocation of the cost between the Main Highways Board, the Unemployment Board and the Railway Department, together with, of course, such assistance as will be forthcoming from local bodies. Current Year's Selection " Investigations have been carried out jointly by the railway and public works engineers at 50 of the most important level crossings in the Dominion, and from these a selection will be made for the programme for the current year. Elimination will be effected in some instances by overbridge, in some by subway, in others by highway deviation, and in a few cases a small re-location of the railway may offer the cheapest and best solution." Mr. Forbes said he felt sure that the desire on the part of the Government to eliminate as far as possible the risks of accidents at these crossings would be appreciated by the public generally, and more particularly by the roadusers. It would also find a useful work for a number of unemployed.