Wherever railway lines meet a road or footpath – a unique set of safety hazards exist.
The combination of speed, people and freight travelling on intersecting rail and road systems has the potential for high impact or catastrophic incidents. Even a collision with a low speed train or tram can result in serious injury or death, particularly for pedestrians.
While all road level crossings on the Adelaide Metropolitan Passenger Railway Network have active warning signals with flashing lights and boom gates, not all pedestrian crossings have active warning systems.
Incidents involving pedestrians and vehicles most frequently occur at railway crossings on the busy Adelaide Metro train lines such as the Gawler Central and Seaford lines.
Vehicle drivers need to pay attention at regional level crossings with the most frequent near-miss incidents reported along the Adelaide-Port Augusta line, the Adelaide-Melbourne and Mt Barker-Victor Harbor lines.
All vehicle drivers need to stay alert and obey the traffic control signs at a level crossing even if the line is not used frequently.
Always make sure you check that the track is clear in both directions before crossing.
While most people try to be safe at railway crossings, common dangerous behaviour includes:
These behaviours are resulting mainly from impatience, inattention, complacency, distractions and the lack of awareness as to the rules, dangers and penalties surrounding rail crossing use
Don’t race the train.
It can’t stop quickly. You can.
Always stop and look both ways. Just wait.
Drivers of road vehicles pose a risk at level crossings, even where active visual and audio alerts are in place. It is dangerous to:
Don’t chance it.
Stay behind the white line until it’s safe to cross.
Just wait.
If you can’t hear the train, you might not see the train.
Always stop and look both ways. Just wait.
DIT is carrying out observational studies at a number of level crossings across metropolitan and rural South Australia that have different safety control measures. This helps the department to understand pedestrian and driver behaviour and will help to inform future educational and infrastructure initiatives.
The following stations are included in these studies:
Additional vehicles registered in South Australia have now been identified as having been fitted with a “critical” Takata airbag, and will be refused registration to ensure the safety of all road users.
As part of the Regency Road to Pym Street Project there will be a temporary partial closure of the South Road and Regency Road intersection from 5am Monday, 4 January, to 5am Monday, 11 January, weather permitting.
As part of the Darlington Upgrade Project, night and weekend works will be undertaken in the lowered motorway and on South Road to install the final layer of asphalt and line marking.
Motorists are advised of upcoming partial closures of the Heysen Tunnels to allow for essential safety maintenance works.