18.04.08
Nexus to install speed cameras at Metro level crossing
Nexus is to install speed cameras at its Callerton Parkway level crossing in Newcastle to help the police get tough with careless motorists who risk their lives by driving through red 'stop' lights when Metro trains are approaching.
Nexus, who own and operate Metro, is fitting the cameras due to the number of near misses at Callerton Parkway over the last year. Almost half of the 52 road traffic incidents at Metro’s five level crossings have occurred there.
The cameras will be mounted on either side of the level crossing and will take a picture of a vehicle’s number plate when it passes through when the warning lights are flashing and the alarm is sounding.
The images obtained from the cameras will be used by the police to prosecute drivers who run the red lights.
Nexus is committed to reducing the amount of incidents at level crossing in line with a national campaign which has been run by Network Rail.
Nexus has no plans to put barriers at any of its level crossings. All of them have clear signs, lights and alarms to warn motorists that a train is approaching. However, a detailed review has concluded that enforcement cameras offer the most efficient and effective deterrent to vehicles crossing signals at danger.
The cameras, which are costing £60,000, are safety ‘red light’ cameras which are approved by the Home Office for use on highways and railway level crossings. They are scheduled to be installed in June.
Safety cameras have been proven to reduce both speeds and the number of people killed or seriously injured on the roads. Last year in Northumbria there was 36 percent reduction in casualties at speed camera sites, including a 76 percent reduction in fatalities.
Northumbria Police and the Northumbria Safer Road Initiative both support the case for the cameras at the Callerton Parkway level crossing.
Metro Director, Mick Carbro, said: “No sane driver would dream of running through a red traffic light, and the same rule applies on railway crossings. The cameras will allow the police to catch motorists stupid enough to run the lights.
“A small minority of people are risking their lives by driving over the crossing at Callerton Parkway when the ’stop’ lights are on red and don’t seem to appreciate the danger they are putting themselves in.
“When the red lights are illuminated on a level crossing it means that a train is approaching and it is against the law and incredibly dangerous to attempt to drive across, even if the crossing appears to look clear.
“Thankfully the number of collisions at our level crossings is extremely low, but we are determined to reduce that to as close to zero as we can get.”
Project Manager for the Northumbria Safer Roads Initiative, Ray King, said: “We fully support this pilot at Callerton Parkway in the interest of road safety and the safety of the Metro network.
“It is unfortunate that some motorists decide to take unnecessary risks that put their lives and the lives of others in danger.
“We believe the scheme will make motorists aware of the need to stop at a level crossing, being more of a preventative measure, and ensure the Metro network and crossings are as safe as possible. Ultimately, we hope that people will exercise common sense and just stop at the level crossing.”
Once the cameras are installed they will become the property of the Northumbria Safer Road Initiative, who will maintain them and carry out all the prosecutions.
Of the five level crossings on the Metro system the other four crossings are located at Bank Foot, Kingston Park, Fawdon and Howdon. The number of near misses involving cars and approaching trains at these crossings number less than ten over the last year.
The number of actual collisions at Callerton Parkway is also extremely low. The most recent happened in March last year when a Volkswagen Passat with child passengers was hit by a train heading for Newcastle Airport. Nobody was seriously injured.
In 1999 a Newcastle United footballer was involved in a collision with a Metro train when he tried to jump the lights in a £60,000 Porsche.
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