Dave Thompson MSP

As the latest attempt to educate motorists of the dangers in jumping the lights at railway level crossings is launched, an MSP who has campaigned for the installation of barriers at all crossings warned against the use of this crime to justify inaction.

Highlands and Islands MSP Dave Thompson has called for barriers to be introduced at those crossings where the movement of motor vehicles is currently controlled only by traffic lights. Although these 23 junctions make up just two per cent of the country's total number of crossing, they account for almost a third of all accidents.

Mr Thompson welcomed the latest roll-out of Operation Galley by British Transport Police, an initiative which will see its officers adopt both a high and low-profile presence at level crossings around Scotland.

The high-profile officers will be at crossings to give motorists a visible reminder of the importance of obeying instructions at level crossings and the potential consequences of disregarding an instruction to allow right of way to an oncoming train.

Meanwhile this aspect of Operation Galley will be backed up by a team of officers operating with recording equipment in unmarked cars to get the message that drivers who disregard the rules will be caught.

"It think this is a good thing," said Mr Thompson, whose recent survey of public attitudes towards the safety of level crossings revealed overwhelming support for the installation of barriers at all level crossings.

"Educating the public of the dangers at level crossings must be welcomed but the effects of this can quickly be lost if it is not carried out almost constantly but then people have a tendency to ignore something that is almost constant.

"Therefore there is no substitute for barriers as a physical block to movement and that is why I still believe they are necessary."

Last year Mr Thompson sent several thousand consultation forms to constituents living close to the 21 open level crossing within his Highlands and Islands constituency to ask if they felt safe using this crossing, if they thought they should be left as they are or have crossings installed and whether they or anyone they knew had been involved in an accident or near miss.

By the time responses closed this month, almost a fifth of these forms had been returned and first impressions have been that the vast majority of those who responded did not feel safe and wanted to see barriers installed, while a significant minority had either been involved in an accident or near miss or knew someone else who had.

The results of this study are being finalised this week, ready to become part of a report into the problem for Transport Secretary Stewart Stevenson. Mr Thompson has requested a meeting with the minister to present this report and make his case for improved investment in safety at this type of crossing.

The MSP also welcomed BTP's focus on enforcement and predicted that the low-profile aspect of Operation Galley would result in several people being warned or charged for allegedly failing to stop when instructed to do so by lights at crossings.

"There are already video cameras at crossings through the area and between these and these extra patrols, I expect they will find some silly people abusing the crossing and taking a chance with their own safety and that of those on the trains.

"I hope these instances will not be used to try and justify a case for failing to install barriers."

Notes:

Concern over public safety at this type of Open Level Crossing was brought back into focus in September when three members of the same family were killed when their car collided with a train at an open level crossing in Halkirk, Caithness.

Donald MacKay (66), who lived at the Forse House nursing home in Latheron, his brother Angus MacKay (81) and sister-in-law Margaret MacKay, also 81, were killed in the collision.

Just before Christmas the same crossing was the subject of controversy when Caithness Landward councillor Willie Mackay complained that the red "stop" lights had displayed although no train was passing through the junction.

Then last week a man was charged after a collision between a van and a train at the village's other open level crossing.