THE Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) is calling for the urgent removal of a North Shore level crossing, following the death of a young father at the Station Street site last month.<\/p>\n
The 30-year-old driver was killed when his truck was struck by a passenger train after the low-loader trailer he was towing became stuck on the rail crossing.<\/p>\n
The front carriage of the train was derailed in the crash, but the driver and passengers were evacuated and sustained no injuries.<\/p>\n
PTUA Geelong branch convenor Jarred Crowe said the association was concerned about the possibility of another fatality at the level crossing. “On the day of the incident last month, I was out at North Shore\u2026 and a lot of people there were not surprised.<\/p>\n
“They’ve seen incidents occurs over and over again and they thought it was just a matter of time.”<\/p>\n
More than 70 level crossing removals already completed throughout Victoria, but Mr Crowe said the North Shore level crossing was “one of the most dangerous and disruptive in the state”.<\/p>\n
At present, the crossing is not slated for removal.<\/p>\n
“The Geelong railway line is such a crucial connection between the two cities, and we can’t just have it shut down all the time,” Mr Crowe said.<\/p>\n
“We need to look at making our train services much more reliable for passengers and reduce delays were possible.”<\/p>\n
He said the PTUA suspected the state government was avoiding the level crossing by having it “put in the ‘too hard’ basket”.<\/p>\n
“It’s a difficult space to work in there.<\/p>\n
“There are freight yards to the west and then there’s the freight line to the east as well which is managed by a federal government entity, so they’d have to work with a large number of stakeholders to remove this level crossing.”<\/p>\n
He also suggested the crossing’s location, situated within the long-time Labor seat of Lara, was a disincentive for the government.<\/p>\n
“Traditionally the government don’t tend to prioritise these sorts of works in safe seats.”<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for the Department of Transport and Planning said: “The North Shore railway crossing has safety infrastructure in place including boom gates, flashing lights and warning lights to warn drivers of the approaching level crossing.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
THE Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) is calling for the urgent removal of a North Shore level crossing, following the death of a young father at the Station Street site last month. The 30-year-old driver was killed when his truck was struck by a passenger train after the low-loader trailer he was towing became stuck […]<\/p>\n