Buses taking on crossings

Chris Cairns wants tougher penalties for risky drivers. Photo / Greg Bowker

Buses racing to beat descending barrier arms have been involved in five near-collisions at one of New Zealand's busiest level crossings.

They were among seven close calls at Auckland's Morningside Drive in the 13 months to April 28 - more than at any other crossing in New Zealand.

Up to 100 commuter trains use the intersection, near Eden Park, Kingsland and the St Lukes shopping centre, each week.

The situation worries cricket great Chris Cairns, whose 19-year-old sister Louise died at a crossing in 1993.

Cairns said the incidents were particularly significant because most involved buses and the area would be particularly busy during the Rugby World Cup.

The first incident was in March last year when a train narrowly missed a bus. Barriers came down on buses four times during that period, most recently in April.

The remaining scares came when a truck raced through the crossing as the barriers were being lowered last July and when a car reversed into a barrier after stopping too close to the tracks in April.

Eden Albert Community Board chairman and Kingsland Business Association member Christopher Dempsey said he suspected buses raced to beat the arms because of timetable pressures.

Three incidents involved vehicles owned by NZ Bus. Chief operating officer Zane Fulljames said: "We certainly do not encourage drivers to drive in an unsafe manner or penalise them for not making trips in the time allowed in the timetable."

A spokeswoman refused to say what punishments their drivers may have faced because it was an employment matter.

The rail network is owned and maintained by Ontrack. Spokeswoman Jenni Austin said it supported separating road and rail traffic at Morningside Drive but there were no plans to carry out the work.

The crossing was protected by barrier arms, flashing lights and bells which started ringing when the train was 500m away, giving drivers about 30 seconds' warning.

There had been one injury in a collision at the crossing, a non-fatal incident involving a pedestrian in 2002. The last recorded collision with a road vehicle was in 1982.

Cairns set up a foundation in memory of his sister who died when a concrete truck ploughed into the train she was on in Rolleston, Canterbury. Two other women were killed.

He called for increased fines or demerit points for drivers who try to cross the tracks as a train approaches.

Fatal consequences

There were 124 reported incidents at level crossings around New Zealand in the 13 months to April 28. Two were fatal.

Kumiko Wakamiya Goodhall died in Mt Maunganui on April 20. James Allan Byron, 28, from Rakaia and Jonathon Wards, 31, from Methven were killed when their car collided with a freight train in Ashburton on June 24.

Almost two-thirds of the incidents were near-collisions involving cars.

Ontrack released the information under the Official Information Act.


anna.rushworth@hos.co.nz