Albert-Eden Local Board is urging people to pause, look and check if it’s safe before crossing or driving through railway crossings.
Over the past few months, several measures by Auckland Transport, Auckland Council and the local board have helped improve rail safety in Albert-Eden. In particular, new gates improve the safety of all pedestrians, especially school children.
Automatic safety swing gates to keep pedestrians safe now operate at Rossgrove Terrace and Asquith Avenue (near Baldwin Avenue Station), and also at Morningside Drive, Woodward Road and Lloyd Avenue. The new gates, which close as soon as the alarm bells indicate a train is coming, are activated by a sensor on the tracks and have a safety zone with an emergency exit gate.
When a train approaches, the bells sound, red lights flash and the pedestrian crossing gates and road barriers automatically close. Pedestrians must stay behind the swing gate and wait until it is fully open before crossing.
When the gates begin closing after pedestrians have started to cross, they can continue crossing the tracks to the other side and wait in the safe zone in front of the emergency exit gate or return to the safe zone behind them.
Once pedestrians are in the safe zone, they can push the emergency exit gate to walk through. Where there is no push button, they can simply push the gate to exit.
“Full grade-separation (bridges) at all level crossings will take many years to achieve so Albert-Eden Local Board is very supportive of the new gates to keep pedestrians safe,” says local board member Graeme Easte.
Improving safety at pedestrian rail crossings is a joint commitment between AT and KiwiRail to improve security and keep all pedestrians safe.
Read more here.
