“So KiwiRail are well aware of the potential danger of this level crossing.”
In the 12 months to June 30, 2023, there had been 22 incidents at rail crossings in the Manawatū/Whanganui region, KiwiRail said.
A KiwiRail spokesperson said there had been no incidents at the Heads Rd crossing in that period, but between 2013 and June 2022 there were 16 events, all of which were near-collisions with light vehicles.
Blackshaw said he had seen a lot of incidents around Whanganui and Manawatū where people had seen a train coming but, instead of stopping to let it pass, they sped up to try to get through.
“It’s almost as if they’re trying to judge how fast the train is going, so they’re making decisions based on how fast they can get across before the train gets here. We see that every day as drivers.”
Given how dangerous collisions with trains could be, he advised people to make the safe decision.
“Don’t take a chance, it could be your last one,” he said.
Horizons Regional Council road safety co-ordinator Val Overweel advised people to only use the designated pedestrian crossings across railway lines because, not only was not doing so dangerous, it was also trespassing on a private corridor.
“The people who are crossing the crossings are the ones who have to make sure they’re keeping themselves safe and looking each way before they go across,” Overweel said.
“We can only do so much to keep the public safe, but it’s up to them to keep themselves safe as well.”
Blackshaw said KiwiRail was always looking to improve the safety of major railways, but further improvements were beholden to increases in funding.
“As it stands at the moment, we have things in place to minimise any issues,” he said.
Finn Williams is a multimedia journalist for the Whanganui Chronicle. He joined the Chronicle in early 2022 and regularly covers stories about business, events and emergencies. He also enjoys writing opinion columns on whatever interests him.
