DANGEROUS CROSSINGS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16895, 21 November 1922, Page 6

DANGEROUS CROSSINGS.

l.ovol railway crossings without gates ought to be a thing of the past in "New Zealand to-day. especially in city suburbs. When it comes to level crossings without signalmen, public opinion ought to be very strongly exatiou. Last night two residents of Christchurch, father and son, driving over one of these unguarded crossing?, were killed by the express from Dunedin. They had probably used the crossing hundreds of times, and one can only guess at the immediate cause of the accident. Possiblv the fact that the express was running late was a contributory cause, for mad passengers become accustomed to the passage of trains at set times, and are likely to assume a sense of fal?e security in consequence. A searching Coroner’s inquiry ought to ge held on the Cutler’* "Road fatality. I’Vrfortunn tely, both of the occupants of the motorcar are dead, and no direct evidence can he given on behalf of those wh> are most concerned in the safety of crossings—namely, the users of the road. Unfortunately, also. no inquiry is held into accidents, however serious, that do not involve loss of life. For instance, on October 26 a motor-car was struck by the Ashburton train at the Selwyn Street crossing, and though the car was completely wrecked and thrown clear of the line j after being carried over the cattle stop, i the occupants, an elderly couple, j escaped death in a miraculous manner j In that case there was a. crossing J keeper, but the driver of the motor- = car waa deceived by his signals, con- [ oeiving the green light to he the j signal to go on. There are many nar- ! row shaves at crossings that the public ’ know nothing about, and it is stated i on very good authority that but for ! the automatic tramway points at rail- j way crossings, by which a tram is de- ; railed when continuing in face of danger signals, a disaster would have occurred long ago. The growth (f rapid road transport calls for greater security to the public than is afforded at present. It is an old saying that if the pitcher quarrels with the well, it goes hard with the pitcher. The I proverb is applicable to the case of tha ' 1 public and the Railway Department. It is the public who come off worst ip i these encounters with the railways, and this fact alone ought to move the Department, as a matter of public interest. to provide greater sec-uriv against accidents.