Train Level Crossing Ahead Sign to be Replaced
Is The Sign Iconic or Outdated? A modern diesel or electric train and a gate on the side of the track are set to be on the new UK private crossing road sign as an attempt to stop concerns for environment with the current representation. Due to an increase in recent accidents the locomotive has been deemed as confusing to delivery drivers, younger drivers and pedestrians who are unconfident on the meaning of the signage. Britain played an iconic role in the Industrial Revolution and that icon is on the roads around the UK to indicate drivers of a level crossing nearby without a barrier, if the sign has a gate it indicates there is a barrier at the level crossing. Understandably, many drivers wouldn’t know all the UK road signs, but the Highway Code’s signs are a crucial part of driving.
The iconic locomotive train sign represents the private crossing which is apart of the road where a railway crosses a private path such as bridleways, walkways, paths or roads, which means the driver needs to decipher when it is safe to keep travelling. The steam-powered train symbolises a crossing without a barrier and has been utilised since the General Directions act of 1964 and the Traffic Signs Regulations. At this point in time there are around 3,000 of these locomotive private crossing signs across the UK a multitude of which are spread across farmlands.
The reason that the detrimental locomotive steam-engine train sign is now being removed is because the Department for Transport believes that the newer generations may not have previously used private crossing and will be alienated and unsure about how to operate on the roads safely. Adding to that, the Department of Transport and the Government published a report called ‘Improving signage at a private level crossing’ showing the main aim of both the Government and the Department of Transport is safety and this new and modern version of the level crossing sign has been designed to help the public acknowledge, understand and ensure the signs to create a simple indication for a level crossing to ensure safety on the roads.
According to the Rail Safety and Standards Board in a report from 2014 the sign should be changed as it is frequently mistaken for associating with slow moving trains. Also, The Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport all expressed the the sign wasn’t right for the current modern roads, they believe it is out-dated and would confuse younger drivers. Furthermore, in 2005 a report from the Health and Safety Executive also accepted it isn’t as useful anymore in modern Britain due to the recent escalate of foreign drivers.
Despite the fact that the report from the open consultation was set forth at the a few weeks ago, this change has been in the making for years and will still be in the making for the next few years.
