DANGEROUS RAILWAY CROSSINGS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 46, Issue 14099, 17 April 1920, Page 4

DANGEROUS RAILWAY CROSSINGS.

After years of petitioning, and after much human sacrifice, the Government lias decided upon a -policy of erecting warning bells at a number of dangerous railway crossings. It is typical of the Rip van Winkle class of individual who riiii—or rather, attempt to runour railways, that they should have suddenly discovered what probably every man, woman and child discovered a generation ago—that there are a large number of exceedingly dangerous railway crossings in New Zealand from which the'public should be protected when a train is approaching. Wc hope to see included in the list of crossings where warning bells are to be erected, those death traps of Lincoln road, Kopuaranga and Opaki, and wc trust that the representations w,hieh the Alasterton Chamber of Commerce are again making in the matter will be , successful. The Government owes it as a duty to the people that dangerous railway crossings should bo made as safe as possible for those who are compelled to make use of them. Featherston has its warning bells at dangerous there, but the Department did not take action ugtii life had been lost. It may be pointed out that there is not half the danger likely to arise from the Featlierston railway crossings as from .those alt Lincoln road and on the road towards Kopuaranga. If the railway official who is responsible for the rejection of requests -(unde by the -local bodies in connection with dangerous railway crossings were made to stand his trial for manslaughter, every time there is a fatality at one of these crossings, w r c venture to say that every dangerous crossing. wouut have its warning bell erected within a remarkably short time.*