Level crossing safety drive

There were an incredible 1,208 safety issues reported at unmanned crossings in the North West between 2007 and 2011.

During that period there were SIX near misses and one death - that of Limavady farmer James Craig (70) - whose father Thomas was Mayor of Londonderry in the 1970s.

The safety issues were reported at dozens of private crossings as well as at Ballykelly airport (20) and the Foyle Bridge (12) over the five years.

Now Translink are rolling our a public education campaign warning people to be aware of the very real dangers at level crossings.

Translink NI Railways last week used the platform of International Level Crossing Awareness Day (ILCAD) to raise awareness among road users and pedestrians of the risks at level crossings and to encourage them to change their behaviour.

Keith Pollock, Level Crossing Risk Coordinator, Translink said, “We are pleased to mark the ILCAD in NI Railways by educating ALL crossing users on how to keep vigilant and stay safe this summer.”

He added: “This activity compliments our on-going safety campaign to promote the safe use of level crossings, which includes visits to schools and youth groups.

“In 2011/12, we ran The Schools Safety Challenge, a competition for 11-15 year olds to devise a piece of musical theatre based on the theme of rail safety. “The winning group from Loreto College, Coleraine, worked with a West End artistic director, choreographer and musical director to develop the piece, titled ‘Deadline’ which they performed in front of their classmates and parents.

“We will also be running a summer campaign to remind pedestrians and motorists to take care when using level crossings and to pay heed to the barriers and warning signals.”

For information on how Translink supports safety, schools, parents and young people ,or to view the Schools Safety Challenge entries, go to http://www.youtube.com/user/TranslinkNI or contact our press office on 028 90899455 for a copy of our safety DVD.