Road Safety Committee Inquiry into Improving Safety at Level Crossings December 2008 Date of adoption 11 December 2008 Inquiry into Improving Safety at Level Crossings Report of the Road Safety Committee on the Inquiry into Improving Safety at Level Crossings ORDERED TO BE PRINTED Victorian Government Printer 2008 Parliamentary Paper No. 170 Session 2006-2009 Parliament of Victoria Road Safety Committee Subject Vehicle Safety ISBN – 978-0-9751534-6-8 Table of Contents Committee Members .................................................................................i The Road Safety Committee ...................................................................iii Terms of Reference ..................................................................................v Chair’s Foreword ....................................................................................vii Executive Summary .................................................................................xi Recommendations .................................................................................xiii Abbreviations and Definitions ..............................................................xix Chapter 1 - Introduction ...................................................................1 Background ...............................................................................................1 The Inquiry ................................................................................................2 Terms of Reference ....................................................................................2 Submissions and Hearings .........................................................................2 Inspections .................................................................................................3 Forum .........................................................................................................3 Level Crossings ........................................................................................4 Types of Crossings .....................................................................................4 Active Crossings .................................................................................5 Passive Crossings ..............................................................................5 Pedestrian Level Crossings ................................................................5 Private and Occupation Crossings .....................................................5 Safety Concerns at Level Crossings ...........................................................6 Level Crossing Rail Safety Measures .........................................................7 Responsibility for Level Crossings ..............................................................8 Rail Committees in Victoria ..............................................................10 Commonwealth Rail Committees .....................................................11 Amendment to the Rail Safety Act 2006 ...........................................12 Issues Outside the Terms of Reference ...............................................12 Other Cost Reduction Measures ...............................................................13 Summary of Findings .............................................................................15 Chapter 2 - The Problem ................................................................ 21 Introduction .............................................................................................21 Number of Level Crossings in Victoria .................................................22 Data Issues ..............................................................................................22 National Statistics .....................................................................................23 Circumstances Surrounding Vehicle Level Crossing Crashes ..........24 Types of Crashes ......................................................................................24 Speed Limits .............................................................................................25 Other Contributory Factors .......................................................................25 Where Crashes Occur ..............................................................................26 Serious Injuries .........................................................................................26 Driver Behaviour .....................................................................................27 Perceptions of Level Crossings ................................................................27 Reasons for Unsafe Driver Behaviour ......................................................28 Heavy Vehicle Crashes at Level Crossings ..........................................29 The Increasing Risk to Train Passengers and Crew .................................30 Pedestrian Level Crossing Crashes ......................................................30 Pedestrian Behaviour ...............................................................................31 High Cost of Increasing Levels of Safety .............................................32 Need for a Strategy .................................................................................34 Summary of Findings .............................................................................34 Chapter 3 - Overview of Current Safety Measures ...................... 39 Introduction .............................................................................................39 Measures at Level Crossings ................................................................40 Passive Crossings ....................................................................................40 Active Crossings .......................................................................................40 Measures Available to Improve Crossings ................................................41 System Failures ........................................................................................43 Monitoring Equipment ...............................................................................43 Railway Pedestrian Crossings ...............................................................44 Pedestrian Crossing Taskforce .................................................................45 Standards and Policy Guidelines ..........................................................46 Assessment of Level Crossings in Victoria .........................................48 Issues Identified by the Australian Level Crossing Assessment Model ....52 Sight Distance Problems on Arterial Roads .....................................52 Queuing and Short Stacking Problems on Arterial Roads ................55 Non-Compliant Road Signs ..............................................................57 Safety Issues on Heavy Vehicle Routes ...............................................57 Appropriateness of B-Double Routes .......................................................58 Closing Surplus Crossings ....................................................................60 Behaviour Change Countermeasures ...................................................62 Infringements ............................................................................................64 Improvements to Train Conspicuity ......................................................66 Rotating Beacons, Oscillating or Strobe Lights on Trains .........................66 Reflective Materials on Trains ..................................................................68 Colours and Markings on Trains ...............................................................69 Other Measures .......................................................................................71 Perceptual Countermeasures ...................................................................71 Rumble Strips ...........................................................................................72 Other Tactile Stimuli .................................................................................73 Summary of Findings .............................................................................74 Chapter 4 - New and Developing Technologies ........................... 85 Introduction .............................................................................................85 Applications for the Use of New and Developing Technologies ................86 Issues Surrounding New Technologies ................................................87 Low-Cost Warning Devices ......................................................................87 The Victorian Experience with a Low-Cost Warning System ....................88 Status of the Victorian Passive Crossing Warning System ..............90 Legal Concerns for New Technologies .....................................................91 Findings on Low-Cost Warning Systems ..................................................93 Types of Low Cost Warning Devices ........................................................95 Radar Systems .................................................................................96 Axel or Wheel Counting Systems .....................................................97 Solar Powered Lighting ....................................................................98 Intelligent Transport Systems ...............................................................98 The Potential for Intelligent Transport Systems ......................................101 Types of