View Full Version : Level crossing cyclist in 'nearest miss' with train
Jimbuna
10-02-13, 01:41 PM
This is one stupid but very lucky woman...
A cyclist came within seconds of being struck by a train when she tried to dodge a closed level crossing barrier in Cambridgeshire.
The train driver was forced to apply the emergency brake when he saw the woman at Waterbeach on 12 September.
Richard Schofield, from Network Rail, said it was "one of the closest near misses we've seen".
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-24364332
Very stupid indeed. It's the driver I always feel sorry for in times like these, in a situation like that, there's nothing you can do but sound the horn and pray.
Jimbuna
10-02-13, 01:52 PM
He did apply the brakes but I'm unaware how far down the line the train was before it came to a halt....the cyclist actually pedalled around the barrier :nope:
He did apply the brakes but I'm unaware how far down the line the train was before it came to a halt....the cyclist actually pedalled around the barrier :nope:
That's a Class 170, probably doing about 70mph, weighs about 133 tons, you're probably looking at about six to eight train lengths (approx 566m, 1669ft) at a real ballpark, pulled out of my backside kinda guess.
But yeah, pedalling around the barrier is absolutely retarded, and were it not for the effect on the driver of the train, I would put forward for Darwins law to take its natural course on such idiots.
Jimbuna
10-02-13, 02:09 PM
I laughed at what appeared to be her calm disposition when she cycled off.
Dread Knot
10-02-13, 02:15 PM
I laughed at what appeared to be her calm disposition when she cycled off.
I find it odd that she cycled off in the opposite direction she was originally heading. :hmmm:
Makes me wonder if a change of pants was in order. :O:
Jimbuna
10-02-13, 02:16 PM
I find it odd that she cycled off in the opposite direction she was originally heading. :hmmm:
Makes me wonder if a change of pants was in order. :O:
Beat me to it :)
I find it odd that she cycled off in the opposite direction she was originally heading. :hmmm:
Makes me wonder if a change of pants was in order. :O:
:haha:
Betonov
10-02-13, 04:09 PM
4 years ago I was riding a train when some cyclist pulled a similar stunt in Ljubljana.
It was not a miss :nope:
Onkel Neal
10-02-13, 06:19 PM
Oh man! That was close.
GoldenRivet
10-02-13, 07:59 PM
The driver was forced to apply the emergency brake.
for the purpose of......?
perhaps it would result in her being slightly less dead once struck?
BrucePartington
10-02-13, 09:41 PM
Reviewing the footage, I can't help thinking that regardless of how alert and quick the driver was, the brakes were applied only after passing her.
They both had about 2 seconds to react, at best.
Not enough time for driver and mechanical reaction.
fireftr18
10-02-13, 09:57 PM
At the fire department, we call it "job security."
CaptainMattJ.
10-02-13, 11:50 PM
The driver was forced to apply the emergency brake.
for the purpose of......?
perhaps it would result in her being slightly less dead once struck?
Well for one i think its a bit courteous to at least attempt to stop before you hit someone, even if it is futile. Secondly, he would've had to stop anyways after he hit her, seeing as how if she didnt get smashed out of the way, she'd be dragged/mangled across the tracks if the train kept going.
But that's absolutely insane. That woman was literally a split second from dying. Very scary and very shocking that such a small amount of time can be the difference between life and death. Knowing nothing about this woman, we don't know if she has a husband or kids or something, though she appears somewhat young. In any case, she's incredibly lucky to be alive.
Spiced_Rum
10-03-13, 02:50 AM
It could have been a nomination for this years Darwin Awards, but she got away with it. Will it teach her a valuable life lesson, let’s hope so. However, I am not surprised by her stupidity because so many cyclists are reckless, do not obey roads signs, and are oblivious of what their actions cause. Maybe the train company could bring a prosecution and make her pay compensation for the disruption to the train passengers who had their journey affected by her idiocy.
In Melbourne they set up cameras to capture license plate details of the drivers who didn't follow the rules. Made quite a considerable amount the first year they were introduced.
The driver was forced to apply the emergency brake.
for the purpose of......?
perhaps it would result in her being slightly less dead once struck?
It's SOP, as MattJ said, if she had been hit then the train would have to be stopped, the police called, the line closed for an hour or two as the police try to work out whether she was just being incredibly stupid or someone pushed her, and they have to pick up the remains too. The driver meanwhile is taken off shift for the rest of the day, offered therapy for their experience and most likely given some leave to recover, not sure how long for though.
Sometimes they don't die, sometimes through a quirk of physics they are still alive when dragged under the train for a while, although the speed of the train depends a lot.
Here's a couple of instances of 'One Unders' as they're called on the tube and the response to them from the services:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jmc4AyELrc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQZuhb379pA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_K_AMnoUhzM
Just like that time that guy ran across and lost his shoe. Another near miss, these people will never learn.
This one is what STEED is referring to, I believe:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSp9Jy6KxyY
Again, another idiot, and this time with full barriers, you can see his shoe being knocked off by the train.
For our resident train buffs, the train in this footage is a class 357, which is essentially an overhead electric version of the class 170 which is featured in the first clip on this thread.
Had a pedestrian near miss a couple of weeks ago in Brisbane:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcncEhVEdeE
Jimbuna
10-03-13, 07:53 AM
This one is what STEED is referring to, I believe:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSp9Jy6KxyY
Again, another idiot, and this time with full barriers, you can see his shoe being knocked off by the train.
For our resident train buffs, the train in this footage is a class 357, which is essentially an overhead electric version of the class 170 which is featured in the first clip on this thread.
Lucky for him he was wearing running/sports shoes :)
Fubar2Niner
10-03-13, 01:21 PM
Late post in this thread, and apologies. This kind of thing really gets my goat tho. As a Londoner, I am pounded night after night on and in the news about the rights of cyclists. About how as drivers, we ignore cyclists, or how wider birth we give them. Day after day, week in, week out, I watch in amazement at cyclists who run red lights. Weave round pedestrians on zebra crossings, and on more than one occasion have witnessed collisions with said pedestrians. Why do we have cycle lanes? Most London cyclists have no regard for them, after all if the road is busy it is by far easier to hog the whole road and force traffic around them. Cycling three abreast whilst looking at your mobile ????
I know there are many cyclists, and many are friends on this great forum of ours. However I really am sick to the back teeth of grumbling cyclists.
The video posted is just a sample of the idiocy of a more than average ( judged by what I witness ) group of Boris' entourage.
Sorry for the rant.
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