Rail Safety Week
As the 10th annual Rail Safety Week gets underway today, police Australia-wide with Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure (DPTI) and the Australasian Railway Association (ARA)/ TrackSAFE are on the same track.
Together they are focused on raising community awareness around staying safe near railways tracks and level crossings.
This year’s campaign has the theme “It’s my responsibility”.
To mark the week, the SA Police Public Transport Safety Branch, along with DPTI, will have a display in the Adelaide Railway Station between 8am and 9am on Wednesday, 12 August.
The Band of the South Australia Police will perform and police will be giving away metro card ticket holders with safety messages.
Superintendent Steve Kameniar, officer in charge of SAPOL’s Traffic Support Branch, says the national week is attracting more attention every year.
“The Rail Safety Week puts the dangers of not exercising caution or obeying the rules around railways and tram networks in the spotlight,” he said.
“Train and tram tracks, railway corridors and level crossings can be dangerous places.
“The safety messages we’re promoting are that people should always obey the signs, cross only at approved crossings and be aware of approaching trains.
“Even if a train driver sees an obstruction ahead, it is not always possible to stop in time and the consequences can be devastating.”
Australia’s rail network is the sixth largest in the world, with 44,000km of track and 23,500 level crossings across the network.
There are 150 level crossing collisions causing death or serious injury every year: 130 pedestrian level crossing incidents and an additional 20 collisions involving vehicles.
In South Australia, the office of the Rail Safety Regulator has identified the top ten most dangerous metropolitan and rural crossings, based on data collected from train driver reports between July 2009 and April 2015.
These dangerous crossings are where the most incidents of collisions and /or near misses involving cars and pedestrians and risky or inappropriate behaviour have been reported:
| METRO LOCATION | INCIDENTS |
| Tapleys Hill Rd, Seaton | 35 |
| South/Cross Road intersection, Emerson | 24 |
| Cormack Road, Dry Creek | 21 |
| Torrens Road, Ovingham | 21 |
| Morphett Road, Oaklands Park | 18 |
| Park Terrace, Salisbury | 15 |
| Goodwood Road (Tram), Goodwood | 14 |
| Eastern Parade – Grand Trunkway, Pt.Adelaide | 13 |
| Freight Terminal Access Road, Regency Park | 12 |
| Jetty Road, Brighton | 12 |
| RURAL LOCATION | INCIDENTS |
| Mannum Rd, Murray Bridge | 13 |
| Eyre Highway, Ceduna | 7 |
| Mallala – Two Wells Road, Korunye | 6 |
| Callington – Goolwa, Callington | 6 |
| Orland Rd, Monteith | 6 |
| Barrier Highway, Ucolta | 5 |
| Racecourse Rd, Stirling North | 5 |
| Spoehr Rd, Balhannah | 4 |
| Grantley Avenue, Victor Harbor | 4 |
| Warnertown Rd, Coonamia (Pt.Pirie) | 3 |
Police will have an enforcement focus during the week on these safety issues:
Drivers committing offences at a level crossing, e.g. disobeying warning signals.
Drivers committing offences around tramlines and trams.
Pedestrians committing offences at level crossing.
Pedestrians committing offences when leaving/entering trains/trams.
Passengers committing offences when riding in trains or trams.
Further information on Rail Safety Week can be found on the TrackSAFE Foundations website at http://tracksafefoundation.com.au/rail-safety-week/.
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