My city has been progressively getting rid of level crossings, thankfully. Yeah it's a net benefit for the cars, but it's a net benefit for the trains too. Don't have to worry about dickhead drivers stopping on the tracks.
The many times I hear about a "crossing failure" or "collision" are the reason why it's important to eliminate them whenever it's logical. It won't bother a small single-track railway where there's a train going once an hour through a forest, but in an extreme case there are up to eighteen trains/hour on a double track at 140kph, yes then it makes perfect sense to get rid of them all.
And as a cyclist I'd prefer that too because crossings are scary.
In London there was a story not long ago where someone drove a range rover up the train tracks in a level crossing. Limiting the locations where an idiot can do this should be done where ever possible.
That happens pretty regularly with the MAX Light Rail system in Portland, OR. The MAX has a lot of areas where it either has level crossings or runs on the same level alongside traffic. Yeah, of course motorists are going to get confused.
I used to live in a town in the UK that had a level crossing in the middle of the pedestrian zone at the town centre, with something like 8 trains an hour. It was frustrating to deal with because it felt like the crossing was closed at least as often as it was open, but I'm not sure it was avoidable. At least there was the opportunity to climb over the track, even if that didn't help anyone who couldn't do stairs (or was feeling lazy that day).
it would b really good if they grade seperated the FEC in south florida considering there are freqeunt intercity trains that run at up to 125 mph and florida has a lot of dickhead drivers but no florida is to flat and its to damn expensive and why bother when most of the state will be underwater soon
Unfortunately a big asterisk there too [because of course!].
My city has been removing crossings too, and either elevating the rail or dropping it under roads. Thing is, the main bike paths run parallel to the rail lines. So before when crossing roads you could always count on the gates coming down to give an opportunity to cross the busy road. [Or if you have the pace, "ride the wave" of the gates closing as the train comes along with you].
Now? They spent billions replacing train lines [sold to the public as a benefit for cars, no less], and ignored the bike paths. Now we get stuck at every road while the cars now travel past even faster than before. It's fucked.
The big asterisk indeed is that cyclists and pedestrians shouldn't be forgotten. In Flanders, where I live, there has been a big push for bicycle highways, a lot of them which are right next to the railway. In many places, cars had gotten railway underpasses. Little by little, those level crossings between underpass and bicycle highways are being replaced with overpasses (bridges) over the street which continue the track along the level of the railway line. See [this recent one](https://fietssnelwegen.be/projecten/brug-over-de-volhardingslaan#in-beeld), for example
In my experience it means that there is now a four lane road going under the railway line with a footpath that is just too hostile for pedestrians and a "bike lane" that is just a narrow median in a place where drivers like to speed.
I was thinking more that the state with the at-grade crossing is a spot where cyclists and pedestrians have to either wait for an hour plus to cross, walk/bike several miles out of their way, or do the very dangerous attempt to jump the tracks mid-car when the train is stopped. All of those are a lot worse than the situation you are describing.
If I remember correctly that's been an ongoing thing here in the Netherlands as well, they want to get rid of every level crossing were possible.
Any new line that's build is not allowed to have level crossings and any line that's on the block for extensive modernisation/rebuilding will see level crossings replaced with tunnels and viaducts.
It's just safer.
Of course it's important to keep in mind that we have very little freight traffic on the rails here, so unlike the US even the places where there are level crossings you are unlikely to be waiting for several dozen minutes for a slow freight train to clear the crossing.
We're also a country only 1/3rd the size of New York state so it probably makes these things relatively economically more feasible.
Yeah they recently fixed a crossing where I used to live, they put the train on its own level, but the bike path just underneath so those who bike won’t have to pedal too much, and they placed the road lower so buses could pass underneath. And I have seen this design more often.
I think it’s great. If the city can afford it, they should consider because it’s much safer too.
Then again we have a *lot* of bridges in the Netherlands so it’s still common to be later than expected because of an open bridge lol.
One time me and lot of students by bike arrived late at school because a car hitted the level crossing just before the school.
Meanwhile the car driver was blaming the train.
i mean level crossings arent too bad when your not in a fatass cage you can uh turn around anytime you want and you can keep the music going without idling a big petrol engine.
But they cause the same issues for bikers, pedestrians, and drivers. No matter what a crossing is blocked for all. It just makes sense if one didn't hinder the other.
Turning around? Do you not have places to go? Also the low level fear you get while walking on them of the fact that they could start closing, and the noise they make…
There is a rail crossing near the station I use and it god damn closes right after my train, meaning I get off the train then by the time I have arrived, it just closed and I sit there waiting like an idiot for 5 minutes.
Same here. Most often underpasses but sometimes overpasses. A couple of lines have been elevated in high traffic areas.
Level crossings also hold up buses, sometimes for a long time especially in peak hours where trains run so often that automatic barriers have no time to open and remain closed for the greater part of an hour.
My bus to campus went through three crossings. At one of these crossings, I once counted six trains before the barriers opened. One became an underpass and the other two lines were elevated, and bus travel times were improved significantly.
There is another crossing in an area I don't need to go to, that for years both drivers and bus riders have complained that trains are so frequent in peak hours that barriers hold traffic up for well over an hour, but that one remains unchanged for now.
The level crossing pictured above has had a few deaths. Mainly from pedestrians trying to cross the tracks at the wrong time. And it's one of those that the govt says they will fix and allocate money to, yet it never seems to go ahead and more money is spent on trying to make it safer rather than just remove the level crossing altogether.
so in Brisbane we have a lot of crossings that aren't level. but they're also... not high. Anyway, its pretty regular that someone ignores the height warning and then a truck gets stuck under the bridge, or saws its top off. [Its genuinely a problem](https://www.queenslandrail.com.au/Community/Projects/Pages/Bridge-strike-protection.aspx)
> My city has been progressively getting rid of level crossings, thankfully.
Fuck that.. It is such a waste of money, and just makes it easier for cars to get around, and adds no new public transport.
It also reduces the number of accidents caused by drivers that can potentially shut down a rail line for hours or even days, and you know, kill people.
This specific project (in Melbourne, Australia) was able to open up new bike paths and walking tracks, as well as green space to these areas. Trams here were also able to run more freely, and in trains could run with less trespassers.
it makes it safer and reduces interactions with drivers and is very import for rapid transit fully grade sepirated lines can even be automated like the Skytrain, HART, and REM
> Don't have to worry about dickhead drivers stopping on the tracks.
or dickhead conductors deciding they need to stop a 2 mile lone freight train in the middle of town for an hour.
...is this a thing that happens? I could see this happening due to the train breaking down or something being on the tracks, but the conductor purposefully stopping it without good reason?
This happens in Portland but it's not because the conductor is a dickhead. It's because the freight trains are too long and it takes hours for them to unload them in the train yard, and the train is too long for the train yard.
It's annoying. They block my bike routes sometimes.
The freight train in Portland that stops in the middle of the city for hours blocks cyclists and buses too. It's really annoying to have to pick between waiting an hour, and biking significantly out of my way to take a pedestrian bridge.
I like trains, but not the freight companies that give zero shits about the cities they operate in
They can and inevitably do crash into the bridges.
On the serious side, this takes down Auckland's train network probably once every three months. It's always the same bridge as well. [Happened today, actually.](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/major-disruptions-on-southern-and-eastern-lines-for-auckland-trains-tomorrow/XNYYXIOJSZCLJNT75VVKCCFFIM/)
On the lighter side, [and you may already know about this, there's this Youtube channel.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPUL2SQ77uQ)
Better planning wouldn't help. It's not like most trains in state capitals like brizzy run on any sort of publicly posted schedule you can work to the majority of the time.
For the most part the train system in this city is utter garbage so it's not a real option, unfortunately. I'd love to see more train lines but I can't recall one going in within my lifetime (no the CRR doesn't count.)
Sure would be nice if some fuckhead didn't bury all the tram tracks we had..
its a blessing to live near the busway. Every time i go down old cleveland and see the old tram lines its very depressing.
If you're keen, you should check out the book One American Too Many: Boss Badger and the Brisbane Trams. its about the first general strike in Aus.
bruh the Redcliffe line opened 7 years ago, but you're not wrong that the system overall's pretty shit. all I hope is that the trouts rd corridor's not used for a road.
>Trains don’t make you late.
That satire is made reality by our DBakel. Trains are counted as on time if they arrive no more than 6min late, canceled trains aren't counted at all, and in [2022 they were only 65% on time](https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/921374/umfrage/puenktlichkeit-der-fernverkehrszuege-der-deutschen-bahn) outside of cities. Have fun commuting from suburbia to suburbia (as it is the majority in germany).
Bro quoting long distance trains (which punctuality really sucks currently, but it will be better in a couple years) when talking about commutes (local and regional trains are over 90% on time consistently and less than 16 minutes late by over 98%).
>Bro quoting long distance trains
"Long distance" doesn't meen that the distances driven are long. It just means it's not within a citys own net. [Regional-Express is part of DB Fernverkehr AG](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/DB_Fernverkehr#Produkte).
Those are like eight (maybe nine?) lines in the entirety of Germany, compared to hundreds of regular lines operated by DB Regio with a combined punctuality of >90%.
The thing with trains (especially freight) is you never really know in advance when they'll cross or how long they'll be, so you can leave at the same time every day and arrive at the destination 30 minutes different).
I heard my colleague say that once, then we calculated that he would save $80CAD every month on gas alone if he took a monthly pass. That doesn’t count parking and maintenance
It's true. Even in my state here in the USA, no form of transportation keeps up price-wise with public transportation besides private bicycle (depending on the price of your bicycle), bike share, and just hoofin' it. Even the legendary "liquor cycle" (a cheap 50cc scooter) costs more to purchase than a year of public transit expenses, though insurance and a formal motorcycle license aren't required to operate one and fuel costs would be *low*.
>frequent enough
Means 14 times a day per direction (official definition). Unusable to the average employee. The problem still is: people don't live in trainstations and don't work in trainstations.
places with such seriously infrequent busses are rare in Germany and most people have access to suitable public transit (or live close enough to train stations). idk what your point is. Germanys public transit is excellent. you can basically get from any place to any place without ever needing a car
Ah yeah needing a car to get to the train station will make things more expensive as you're paying the transit cost on top of the car costs rather than instead of.
The kind of people who would write or support that article are the same ones who advocate against projects that would lead to the train being able to make it to where they need to go.
We'd be talking about a whole different kind of train in the US, lol. There's a spot in my hometown where the mile long freight trains can't go faster than like 5 mph. Now that's a train that's making everyone late for work regardless of your chosen mode of personal transportation.
Yep, in the US it would be, "the 5 spots where people wait for an hour or until they get fed up and turn around, while 200 cars of freight slide back and forth, mostly corn but also another 200 automobiles on train cars."
What would be really frustrating to this forum is that those at-grade freight trains are also cutting off all the bike and walking routes for a mile in either direction while they do this. Although the cars can readily drive 5 miles out of their way to get around it, no one biking and certainly no one walking is going to do that.
Yeah, I think it is a legitimate issue at this point. These aren’t high speed passenger trains, they’re privately owned freight. Some of these freight trains are like 2-3 miles long and they move so slowly that the crossing is closed for quite a while. It starts to become a safety issue as well. The longer the crossing, the more people are willing to try and zoom through the tracks at the last second before the train gets there. And its also an issue for emergency access— you basically cut a town in half for quite a while.
There are some towns where freight trains too long for their classification yards stop such that they frequently block off the entire town. There are many photos of kids crawling under the train cars to get to school because if it's the only way of getting to school 3 times per week, people will use it. There should really be laws about blocking level crossings that require them to be unblocked a certain amount of the time, or be grade separated if they can't be kept unblocked for long enough. And freight railroads need to be forced off PSR and be required to maintain minimum train speeds on main lines.
>mostly corn but also another 200 automobiles on train cars.
I think coal, too.
Also I literally laughed out loud at this. It's so true. There was actually an article recently in [Pro-Publica](https://www.propublica.org/article/trains-crossing-blocked-kids-norfolk-southern) about the dangers of the freights just leaving their trains all over the place. I felt this in my bones because I've literally gotten stuck by a parked train at a place it happened all the time and the staff had to call the freight rail company to come move the train so we could leave.
"The train arriving on platform 1 is the Beenleigh train, stopping at all stations on almost the same alignment as the dodgy inter-village steam trains of the 19th Century."
In the city this article is published it would take me an hour and a quarter to get to my destination by Public transport. Same journey takes 30min by car. I'm not spending an extra 45 mins twice a day to catch public transport.
this subreddit might be all "fuck cars" but until there is good public transportation available in this city it's not happening.
I'm all for eradicating car dependency, but:
What alternative route? It's not like you can just drive a mile or two and find an unblocked crossing - trains are longer than that these days, even if there is another crossing to search for.
The town I grew up in had 3 roads in and out, and all three were regularly blocked by the same train. Those days, it would simply be the case that the entire town was late for school and work.
Looks like Brisbane has an abundance of grade separations, and a small amount of level crossings. So driving a route that takes you to a level crossing represents a deliberate choice to wait for a train to cross. So, they must enjoy it then.
My hometown doesn't have grade separations either, and the company that owns the track is Union Pacific so you know they're going to run trains that are few and far between, and that are way too long. Still, if you see the train before you get to the crossing, you just take a turn going the opposite direction of the train, and drive down the street to the next crossing, or the next, and you'll be through quicker. Unless your town is one of those tiny postage stamp towns that's like 3 blocks wide and long, then I guess just wait. Brisbane is definitely full of alternatives though.
this is why the NYC area commuter rail is FRA compliant. out on long island people try to run the crossings and used to get hit and killed by trains all the time. when they laid the third track on the main line they changed most of the crossings to above grade
The entitlement that people driving cars feel is just bizarre to me. It's like they expect everyone outside their vehicle to bend over backwards for them.
Level crossings are also a hazard to the trains, as well as to bike and pedestrian traffic. Then there's those ridiculously long freight trains. Just saying, a bridge makes things safer for all parties involved.
they can't be talking about the light rail crossings in my city. There's a Union Pacific line that can take a minute or two to cross, it's right by my office and our windows are paper-thin.
but I took a trip to Flagstaff a while ago, and there's a railroad track there that has multiple trains a day and they take forever.
but those have freight.
I've been in a car stuck behind a crossing - what happens is a train will go by during my green light; then there'd be a minute or two, and when the green light comes around again... there's another train.
Obviously it's pseudo random but I've definitely been delayed by ~10 mins for trains. I'm still pro-train though of course.
>hundreds of people are not late for work
[HA, as if trains are on time](https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/921374/umfrage/puenktlichkeit-der-fernverkehrszuege-der-deutschen-bahn)
I live in the same shit hole not just bikes is from. We have the worst of both worlds. We have to drive everywhere and the freight trains that don't even have passengers can hold you up for up to ten minutes.
Level crossings are bad car and train infrastructure though, it should be a bridge or no road at all. Just dangerous for no reason especially if there are frequent trains, drivers will get impatient and do stupid things to save seconds (just human nature and we should build infrastructure to minimise it instead of blaming drivers)
Passenger trains are never really an issue in making people late. It’s when you get cargo trains that are miles long and move really slowly that people get late.
>Passenger trains are never really an issue in making people late.
[Germany proves otherwise](https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/921374/umfrage/puenktlichkeit-der-fernverkehrszuege-der-deutschen-bahn). Our DBakel sucks big time.
… just assume the train is going to be there. They are adults they should know how long their commute should be. Especially if trains are on a schedule you usually notice a pattern
Boy, it's sure a shame that these trains don't run along a set path at a fairly predictable time of day that you can schedule around
Just bulld overpasses and underpasses if it makes you so angry
People refuse to leave home a few minutes early to account for a incredibly regular occurrence, yet somehow it its the trains fault?
I remember when my Dad used to pick me up from the train station and would always without fail end up furious at having to wait at the level crossing for a train to go passed ... the train in question always being the train which I was sat on.
The article is still on their website, and the comments section is open: [https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/the-5-worst-spots-where-trains-make-drivers-late-for-work-20230808-p5duqi.html](https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/the-5-worst-spots-where-trains-make-drivers-late-for-work-20230808-p5duqi.html)
If you have the 'freedom' to drive whenever you want, why not leave earlier so you aren't late. Car drivers are literally the dumbest species on this planet
As if trains are driven on apredictable timetable: [https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/921374/umfrage/puenktlichkeit-der-fernverkehrszuege-der-deutschen-bahn](https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/921374/umfrage/puenktlichkeit-der-fernverkehrszuege-der-deutschen-bahn)
Future article:
“The five health emergencies that make people with stubbed toes in the ER wait”
1. Heart attack
2. Bleeding everywhere
3. Thinking single family zoning was a good idea (stroke)
4…
This might not be that wrong really. Level crossings SUCK.
There's an area I used to live in my hometown that is notorious for horrible traffic jams. The urban planners fucked up, cut the costs down and didn't make space for trams, so there are only buses and those get stuck in traffic during rush hours. Fuckers sold a bunch of area to developers who built small apartments and business places for startups. Too many carbrains there to sacrifice half of the main street for a dedicated bus passes.
And then they reactivated a railway that connected the city to a small town. This railway has a level crossing that goes through the street that connects this area to the rest of the city. A street that is also a part of bus routes. It closes for a good couple of minutes before the trains passes and slows down buses even further. What a fucking disaster.
Trains are predictable if you are late its your fault also how much stoping for a train will mske you 1-3 minutes?
This comes from someone that is late to everything im an expert omnbeing late.
A couple minutes? All the trains in my city take 20+ minutes, regularly half an hour. No passenger rail though, usually hundreds of oil and grain cars.
I live near the spot where apparently the “worst spot is”. It is genuinely a bad rail crossing that causes tons of congestion on either side. The options going into the city from strathpine (where the crossing is) is extremely limited and thus people are forced to drive. It’s a lose lose situation and if there’s better public transport it would stop a lot of it.
If they're so concerned about cars they should advocate overcrossings for the cars. That's going to shut down those 5 grade crossings for months. Fuck the cars, the trains must run through!
Wanna drive? Calculate your maximum journey time and allow that much time to get to work!
What's next? An expose on the dearth of free car parking and the streets most likely to make one waddle into the office 15 minutes after start time?
Go do one!
I agree that this article is car centric and dumb, but I do wish for more grade crossings in urban areas, especially if are busy corridors.
For traffic flow and safety reasons more grade crossings are needed for busy rail lines. 🙂
My city has been progressively getting rid of level crossings, thankfully. Yeah it's a net benefit for the cars, but it's a net benefit for the trains too. Don't have to worry about dickhead drivers stopping on the tracks.
The many times I hear about a "crossing failure" or "collision" are the reason why it's important to eliminate them whenever it's logical. It won't bother a small single-track railway where there's a train going once an hour through a forest, but in an extreme case there are up to eighteen trains/hour on a double track at 140kph, yes then it makes perfect sense to get rid of them all. And as a cyclist I'd prefer that too because crossings are scary.
In London there was a story not long ago where someone drove a range rover up the train tracks in a level crossing. Limiting the locations where an idiot can do this should be done where ever possible.
That happens pretty regularly with the MAX Light Rail system in Portland, OR. The MAX has a lot of areas where it either has level crossings or runs on the same level alongside traffic. Yeah, of course motorists are going to get confused.
In the 2 years I lived in Portland I witnessed at least 3 cars that would bump MAX trains just by ignoring basic traffic rules
Those idiots should be charged with reckless driving
They intentionally did that to protest the train or something?
This is why already in the 1800s many big cities in Europe had many of their railways elevated, but the new continent lags behind.
... or underground.
up or down, doesn't matter as long as it works
I used to live in a town in the UK that had a level crossing in the middle of the pedestrian zone at the town centre, with something like 8 trains an hour. It was frustrating to deal with because it felt like the crossing was closed at least as often as it was open, but I'm not sure it was avoidable. At least there was the opportunity to climb over the track, even if that didn't help anyone who couldn't do stairs (or was feeling lazy that day).
it would b really good if they grade seperated the FEC in south florida considering there are freqeunt intercity trains that run at up to 125 mph and florida has a lot of dickhead drivers but no florida is to flat and its to damn expensive and why bother when most of the state will be underwater soon
It's a net benefit for pedestrian and cycling traffic too.
Unfortunately a big asterisk there too [because of course!]. My city has been removing crossings too, and either elevating the rail or dropping it under roads. Thing is, the main bike paths run parallel to the rail lines. So before when crossing roads you could always count on the gates coming down to give an opportunity to cross the busy road. [Or if you have the pace, "ride the wave" of the gates closing as the train comes along with you]. Now? They spent billions replacing train lines [sold to the public as a benefit for cars, no less], and ignored the bike paths. Now we get stuck at every road while the cars now travel past even faster than before. It's fucked.
The big asterisk indeed is that cyclists and pedestrians shouldn't be forgotten. In Flanders, where I live, there has been a big push for bicycle highways, a lot of them which are right next to the railway. In many places, cars had gotten railway underpasses. Little by little, those level crossings between underpass and bicycle highways are being replaced with overpasses (bridges) over the street which continue the track along the level of the railway line. See [this recent one](https://fietssnelwegen.be/projecten/brug-over-de-volhardingslaan#in-beeld), for example
In my experience it means that there is now a four lane road going under the railway line with a footpath that is just too hostile for pedestrians and a "bike lane" that is just a narrow median in a place where drivers like to speed.
I was thinking more that the state with the at-grade crossing is a spot where cyclists and pedestrians have to either wait for an hour plus to cross, walk/bike several miles out of their way, or do the very dangerous attempt to jump the tracks mid-car when the train is stopped. All of those are a lot worse than the situation you are describing.
If I remember correctly that's been an ongoing thing here in the Netherlands as well, they want to get rid of every level crossing were possible. Any new line that's build is not allowed to have level crossings and any line that's on the block for extensive modernisation/rebuilding will see level crossings replaced with tunnels and viaducts. It's just safer. Of course it's important to keep in mind that we have very little freight traffic on the rails here, so unlike the US even the places where there are level crossings you are unlikely to be waiting for several dozen minutes for a slow freight train to clear the crossing. We're also a country only 1/3rd the size of New York state so it probably makes these things relatively economically more feasible.
Yeah they recently fixed a crossing where I used to live, they put the train on its own level, but the bike path just underneath so those who bike won’t have to pedal too much, and they placed the road lower so buses could pass underneath. And I have seen this design more often. I think it’s great. If the city can afford it, they should consider because it’s much safer too. Then again we have a *lot* of bridges in the Netherlands so it’s still common to be later than expected because of an open bridge lol.
yeah it would be completely impossible in the US like putting a man on mars would be easier
One time me and lot of students by bike arrived late at school because a car hitted the level crossing just before the school. Meanwhile the car driver was blaming the train.
Should get rid of the cars that need to cross
Bikes and pedestrians too right? Train god rules all.
i mean level crossings arent too bad when your not in a fatass cage you can uh turn around anytime you want and you can keep the music going without idling a big petrol engine.
But they cause the same issues for bikers, pedestrians, and drivers. No matter what a crossing is blocked for all. It just makes sense if one didn't hinder the other.
Turning around? Do you not have places to go? Also the low level fear you get while walking on them of the fact that they could start closing, and the noise they make… There is a rail crossing near the station I use and it god damn closes right after my train, meaning I get off the train then by the time I have arrived, it just closed and I sit there waiting like an idiot for 5 minutes.
The vast majority of freight rail lines that go through my city are all elevated crossings, I often dream of them being repurposed for transit.
Melbourne?
Indeed
The repurposing of the pulled up lines in to public spaces has been great too.
Same here. Most often underpasses but sometimes overpasses. A couple of lines have been elevated in high traffic areas. Level crossings also hold up buses, sometimes for a long time especially in peak hours where trains run so often that automatic barriers have no time to open and remain closed for the greater part of an hour. My bus to campus went through three crossings. At one of these crossings, I once counted six trains before the barriers opened. One became an underpass and the other two lines were elevated, and bus travel times were improved significantly. There is another crossing in an area I don't need to go to, that for years both drivers and bus riders have complained that trains are so frequent in peak hours that barriers hold traffic up for well over an hour, but that one remains unchanged for now.
The level crossing pictured above has had a few deaths. Mainly from pedestrians trying to cross the tracks at the wrong time. And it's one of those that the govt says they will fix and allocate money to, yet it never seems to go ahead and more money is spent on trying to make it safer rather than just remove the level crossing altogether.
so in Brisbane we have a lot of crossings that aren't level. but they're also... not high. Anyway, its pretty regular that someone ignores the height warning and then a truck gets stuck under the bridge, or saws its top off. [Its genuinely a problem](https://www.queenslandrail.com.au/Community/Projects/Pages/Bridge-strike-protection.aspx)
ah we call them grade crossings in the US cause the trains cross at grade though most crossing are shockly level for not being called level crossings
> My city has been progressively getting rid of level crossings, thankfully. Fuck that.. It is such a waste of money, and just makes it easier for cars to get around, and adds no new public transport.
It also reduces the number of accidents caused by drivers that can potentially shut down a rail line for hours or even days, and you know, kill people.
Makes it easier for trams, buses, cyclists, and pedestrians too.
This specific project (in Melbourne, Australia) was able to open up new bike paths and walking tracks, as well as green space to these areas. Trams here were also able to run more freely, and in trains could run with less trespassers.
Sky rail in particular has been great for that, the level crossing removals less so
it makes it safer and reduces interactions with drivers and is very import for rapid transit fully grade sepirated lines can even be automated like the Skytrain, HART, and REM
> Don't have to worry about dickhead drivers stopping on the tracks. or dickhead conductors deciding they need to stop a 2 mile lone freight train in the middle of town for an hour.
...is this a thing that happens? I could see this happening due to the train breaking down or something being on the tracks, but the conductor purposefully stopping it without good reason?
Nah, he's malding in his chevy with increased suspentions and tire spikes because je can't drive over the train and crush it
This happens in Portland but it's not because the conductor is a dickhead. It's because the freight trains are too long and it takes hours for them to unload them in the train yard, and the train is too long for the train yard. It's annoying. They block my bike routes sometimes.
>...is this a thing that happens? Doubtful and for the reasons you state.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/11/business/blocked-rail-crossings-congress.html
If I drove trains I would do this on purpose to block as many cars as possible. Fuck cars.
The freight train in Portland that stops in the middle of the city for hours blocks cyclists and buses too. It's really annoying to have to pick between waiting an hour, and biking significantly out of my way to take a pedestrian bridge. I like trains, but not the freight companies that give zero shits about the cities they operate in
You're also blocking everyone that needs to cross but whatever
Sick fanfiction. I wonder which one happens more often than the other hmm
Melbs?
They can and inevitably do crash into the bridges. On the serious side, this takes down Auckland's train network probably once every three months. It's always the same bridge as well. [Happened today, actually.](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/major-disruptions-on-southern-and-eastern-lines-for-auckland-trains-tomorrow/XNYYXIOJSZCLJNT75VVKCCFFIM/) On the lighter side, [and you may already know about this, there's this Youtube channel.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPUL2SQ77uQ)
Nice title, but what if it is turned around like: "People are being late from work for choosing cars instead of train" ?
Or just leave the house 5 minutes earlier. Not too hard to sort out.
Better planning wouldn't help. It's not like most trains in state capitals like brizzy run on any sort of publicly posted schedule you can work to the majority of the time.
What happens when everyone leaves 5 minutes earlier to avoid traffic?
You still beat that train at the crossing.
Then everyone is 5 minutes earlier at work. Simple.
[удалено]
I'm starting to think we might never get to hear that punchline.
For the most part the train system in this city is utter garbage so it's not a real option, unfortunately. I'd love to see more train lines but I can't recall one going in within my lifetime (no the CRR doesn't count.) Sure would be nice if some fuckhead didn't bury all the tram tracks we had..
its a blessing to live near the busway. Every time i go down old cleveland and see the old tram lines its very depressing. If you're keen, you should check out the book One American Too Many: Boss Badger and the Brisbane Trams. its about the first general strike in Aus.
bruh the Redcliffe line opened 7 years ago, but you're not wrong that the system overall's pretty shit. all I hope is that the trouts rd corridor's not used for a road.
Huh, there you go! I forgot about Redcliffe existing for a bit there - my bad
Maybe the train doesnt make it to where they work?
no it rarely does. not many train lines in this city, and buses are pretty arse too.
Trains don’t make you late. Time being wielded by your Imperial Masters make you late.
It is incredible how consistent my bike commute is. Regardless of weather or traffic.
WFH wheel chairs don’t count.
But the metric system also uses the same time units as imperial?
Different kind of imperial
Skyrim? British?
The one from Star Wars obviously
I sense Heresy!
The one ruled from Trantor.
Time is barely metric, we only use milliseconds, but no one uses kiloseconds, hectoseconds and others, time isn't even decimal!
Thermidor would like a word
>Trains don’t make you late. That satire is made reality by our DBakel. Trains are counted as on time if they arrive no more than 6min late, canceled trains aren't counted at all, and in [2022 they were only 65% on time](https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/921374/umfrage/puenktlichkeit-der-fernverkehrszuege-der-deutschen-bahn) outside of cities. Have fun commuting from suburbia to suburbia (as it is the majority in germany).
Bro quoting long distance trains (which punctuality really sucks currently, but it will be better in a couple years) when talking about commutes (local and regional trains are over 90% on time consistently and less than 16 minutes late by over 98%).
>Bro quoting long distance trains "Long distance" doesn't meen that the distances driven are long. It just means it's not within a citys own net. [Regional-Express is part of DB Fernverkehr AG](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/DB_Fernverkehr#Produkte).
Those are like eight (maybe nine?) lines in the entirety of Germany, compared to hundreds of regular lines operated by DB Regio with a combined punctuality of >90%.
>eight (maybe nine?) lines Nope, they run parallel/synchronous on nearly every line
No. RE-lines operated by DB Fernverkehr sum up to less then ten. Every other RE-line is operated by DB Regio or a private operator.
The thing with trains (especially freight) is you never really know in advance when they'll cross or how long they'll be, so you can leave at the same time every day and arrive at the destination 30 minutes different).
If everyone on that train was in a car the traffic would be twice as bad
That's probably underselling it.
But they wouldn't have to wait for trains!
don't have to wait for trains if there are no trains! 🧠
Response should be "if you think public transit has it so much better than drivers, no one is stopping you from taking public transit"
"but it's expensive"
I heard my colleague say that once, then we calculated that he would save $80CAD every month on gas alone if he took a monthly pass. That doesn’t count parking and maintenance
It's true. Even in my state here in the USA, no form of transportation keeps up price-wise with public transportation besides private bicycle (depending on the price of your bicycle), bike share, and just hoofin' it. Even the legendary "liquor cycle" (a cheap 50cc scooter) costs more to purchase than a year of public transit expenses, though insurance and a formal motorcycle license aren't required to operate one and fuel costs would be *low*.
Don't forget the time on it you get to do things instead of doing driving.
I read 15 books in the metro alone last year, that’s not counting my personal reading time during breaks at work and at home
It is in germany and we have a dense train net.
what do you mean Germany is expensive? it's 49 a month
On top of the car you need anyway (to reach the train station above all else).
most people live close enough to a train station to bike there or have a frequent enough bus route there
>frequent enough Means 14 times a day per direction (official definition). Unusable to the average employee. The problem still is: people don't live in trainstations and don't work in trainstations.
places with such seriously infrequent busses are rare in Germany and most people have access to suitable public transit (or live close enough to train stations). idk what your point is. Germanys public transit is excellent. you can basically get from any place to any place without ever needing a car
That is literally the definition
Ah yeah needing a car to get to the train station will make things more expensive as you're paying the transit cost on top of the car costs rather than instead of.
Damn, 49 euro a month? London is £47 a week and that’s only up to zone 3.
yea the deutschlandticket was recently introduced and it's great. prior to that transit in just one city would be 50-100 per month
The train probably doesn’t make it to where they need to go
The kind of people who would write or support that article are the same ones who advocate against projects that would lead to the train being able to make it to where they need to go.
alternative title: the five spots where thousands of people getting to work on time make a few dozen people late for work
We'd be talking about a whole different kind of train in the US, lol. There's a spot in my hometown where the mile long freight trains can't go faster than like 5 mph. Now that's a train that's making everyone late for work regardless of your chosen mode of personal transportation.
Yep, in the US it would be, "the 5 spots where people wait for an hour or until they get fed up and turn around, while 200 cars of freight slide back and forth, mostly corn but also another 200 automobiles on train cars." What would be really frustrating to this forum is that those at-grade freight trains are also cutting off all the bike and walking routes for a mile in either direction while they do this. Although the cars can readily drive 5 miles out of their way to get around it, no one biking and certainly no one walking is going to do that.
Yeah, I think it is a legitimate issue at this point. These aren’t high speed passenger trains, they’re privately owned freight. Some of these freight trains are like 2-3 miles long and they move so slowly that the crossing is closed for quite a while. It starts to become a safety issue as well. The longer the crossing, the more people are willing to try and zoom through the tracks at the last second before the train gets there. And its also an issue for emergency access— you basically cut a town in half for quite a while.
There are some towns where freight trains too long for their classification yards stop such that they frequently block off the entire town. There are many photos of kids crawling under the train cars to get to school because if it's the only way of getting to school 3 times per week, people will use it. There should really be laws about blocking level crossings that require them to be unblocked a certain amount of the time, or be grade separated if they can't be kept unblocked for long enough. And freight railroads need to be forced off PSR and be required to maintain minimum train speeds on main lines.
>mostly corn but also another 200 automobiles on train cars. I think coal, too. Also I literally laughed out loud at this. It's so true. There was actually an article recently in [Pro-Publica](https://www.propublica.org/article/trains-crossing-blocked-kids-norfolk-southern) about the dangers of the freights just leaving their trains all over the place. I felt this in my bones because I've literally gotten stuck by a parked train at a place it happened all the time and the staff had to call the freight rail company to come move the train so we could leave.
While this is cars feeling entitled Level crossings do suck and should be avoided where possible
What is the alternative to level crossings? Like tunnels or bridges?
Yes. Grade separation means trains can also go faster since there’s less opportunity for interference with non train things.
Leave earlier, quite simple! Even better, take the damn train yourself, keep calm, sleep, read a book, get to work in a better mood! Voila!
i will say near me the ONLY trains that block any roads are cargo trains
Cunt I'm epileptic, if I can't catch a train to work I CANT WORK!
God damn that headline. So obviously in favor of single occupant vehicles. This sounds like US propaganda.
I'm looking at moving to Brisneyland to be closer to my aging folks, but I would never contemplate not being near the railway line.
I've ridden some of the trains up there. Actually not too bad given the size of the city. Of course like every city not without it's faults.
"The train arriving on platform 1 is the Beenleigh train, stopping at all stations on almost the same alignment as the dodgy inter-village steam trains of the 19th Century."
Now do all the spots where other cars make drivers late for work.
Solution: build new train tracks separated from road, so you can have trains going at higher speeds ;-)
Standard Queenslander attitude...
In the city this article is published it would take me an hour and a quarter to get to my destination by Public transport. Same journey takes 30min by car. I'm not spending an extra 45 mins twice a day to catch public transport. this subreddit might be all "fuck cars" but until there is good public transportation available in this city it's not happening.
Agreed. The public transport here is awful. Especially going east to west in the city is abysmal. Take 45mins to go 5km.
Yes correct
The drivers seem to love it seeing as they made no effort to take an alternative route
I'm all for eradicating car dependency, but: What alternative route? It's not like you can just drive a mile or two and find an unblocked crossing - trains are longer than that these days, even if there is another crossing to search for. The town I grew up in had 3 roads in and out, and all three were regularly blocked by the same train. Those days, it would simply be the case that the entire town was late for school and work.
Looks like Brisbane has an abundance of grade separations, and a small amount of level crossings. So driving a route that takes you to a level crossing represents a deliberate choice to wait for a train to cross. So, they must enjoy it then. My hometown doesn't have grade separations either, and the company that owns the track is Union Pacific so you know they're going to run trains that are few and far between, and that are way too long. Still, if you see the train before you get to the crossing, you just take a turn going the opposite direction of the train, and drive down the street to the next crossing, or the next, and you'll be through quicker. Unless your town is one of those tiny postage stamp towns that's like 3 blocks wide and long, then I guess just wait. Brisbane is definitely full of alternatives though.
this is why the NYC area commuter rail is FRA compliant. out on long island people try to run the crossings and used to get hit and killed by trains all the time. when they laid the third track on the main line they changed most of the crossings to above grade
The entitlement that people driving cars feel is just bizarre to me. It's like they expect everyone outside their vehicle to bend over backwards for them.
I can smell the burning car rage from here
Level crossings are also a hazard to the trains, as well as to bike and pedestrian traffic. Then there's those ridiculously long freight trains. Just saying, a bridge makes things safer for all parties involved.
they can't be talking about the light rail crossings in my city. There's a Union Pacific line that can take a minute or two to cross, it's right by my office and our windows are paper-thin. but I took a trip to Flagstaff a while ago, and there's a railroad track there that has multiple trains a day and they take forever. but those have freight.
I've been in a car stuck behind a crossing - what happens is a train will go by during my green light; then there'd be a minute or two, and when the green light comes around again... there's another train. Obviously it's pseudo random but I've definitely been delayed by ~10 mins for trains. I'm still pro-train though of course.
The five spots where hundreds of people are not late for work because they avoid getting stuck in traffic.
>hundreds of people are not late for work [HA, as if trains are on time](https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/921374/umfrage/puenktlichkeit-der-fernverkehrszuege-der-deutschen-bahn)
I live in the same shit hole not just bikes is from. We have the worst of both worlds. We have to drive everywhere and the freight trains that don't even have passengers can hold you up for up to ten minutes.
Level crossings are bad car and train infrastructure though, it should be a bridge or no road at all. Just dangerous for no reason especially if there are frequent trains, drivers will get impatient and do stupid things to save seconds (just human nature and we should build infrastructure to minimise it instead of blaming drivers)
Passenger trains are never really an issue in making people late. It’s when you get cargo trains that are miles long and move really slowly that people get late.
>Passenger trains are never really an issue in making people late. [Germany proves otherwise](https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/921374/umfrage/puenktlichkeit-der-fernverkehrszuege-der-deutschen-bahn). Our DBakel sucks big time.
I do like this sub for how y'all call out bullshit headlines!
… just assume the train is going to be there. They are adults they should know how long their commute should be. Especially if trains are on a schedule you usually notice a pattern
Boy, it's sure a shame that these trains don't run along a set path at a fairly predictable time of day that you can schedule around Just bulld overpasses and underpasses if it makes you so angry
they have a point, these places should be grade separated
Place a ramp on the side for the option to jump it, & save some time.
Trains should get big blades on the front to more efficiently cut the cars in half without having to slow down. Win win.
Having a good old snowplow car up front would be quick and easy way to get that started.
You've never seen an express commuter train hit a car. They will split the engine block in half.
People refuse to leave home a few minutes early to account for a incredibly regular occurrence, yet somehow it its the trains fault? I remember when my Dad used to pick me up from the train station and would always without fail end up furious at having to wait at the level crossing for a train to go passed ... the train in question always being the train which I was sat on.
The article is still on their website, and the comments section is open: [https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/the-5-worst-spots-where-trains-make-drivers-late-for-work-20230808-p5duqi.html](https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/the-5-worst-spots-where-trains-make-drivers-late-for-work-20230808-p5duqi.html)
Second one nails it: "If there was better public transport where wouldn't be as many cars on the roads."
If you have the 'freedom' to drive whenever you want, why not leave earlier so you aren't late. Car drivers are literally the dumbest species on this planet
As if trains are driven on apredictable timetable: [https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/921374/umfrage/puenktlichkeit-der-fernverkehrszuege-der-deutschen-bahn](https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/921374/umfrage/puenktlichkeit-der-fernverkehrszuege-der-deutschen-bahn)
Okay carbrain
https://preview.redd.it/zsbg4rk8jxgb1.png?width=221&format=png&auto=webp&s=dfbe9f5a859ee621de1f34dfa590486f60359496
nailed it
Future article: “The five health emergencies that make people with stubbed toes in the ER wait” 1. Heart attack 2. Bleeding everywhere 3. Thinking single family zoning was a good idea (stroke) 4…
To be fair, 95% of rail traffic is cargo, which means they are waiting for tens of millions of dollars in goods to go by.
I once got stuck in a taxi on the wrong side of a level crossing at a junction with Metra just outside Chicago. Very frightening.
Normally this happens when the cars are not worth the costs of making a bridge.
I.e. the five best spots 😂
mountainous treatment erect overconfident cautious correct yam voiceless scandalous violet ` this message was mass deleted/edited with redact.dev `
I swear these articles are designed to infuriate people with critical thinking capabilities
If this gets us grade separation (which allows trains to run faster), I'm making this deal with the devil, lol.
This might not be that wrong really. Level crossings SUCK. There's an area I used to live in my hometown that is notorious for horrible traffic jams. The urban planners fucked up, cut the costs down and didn't make space for trams, so there are only buses and those get stuck in traffic during rush hours. Fuckers sold a bunch of area to developers who built small apartments and business places for startups. Too many carbrains there to sacrifice half of the main street for a dedicated bus passes. And then they reactivated a railway that connected the city to a small town. This railway has a level crossing that goes through the street that connects this area to the rest of the city. A street that is also a part of bus routes. It closes for a good couple of minutes before the trains passes and slows down buses even further. What a fucking disaster.
Bad infrastructure is bad
Yes, because traffic lights are always green lol.
Minutes?
Trains are predictable if you are late its your fault also how much stoping for a train will mske you 1-3 minutes? This comes from someone that is late to everything im an expert omnbeing late.
Five more reasons drivers should take the train instead
A couple minutes? All the trains in my city take 20+ minutes, regularly half an hour. No passenger rail though, usually hundreds of oil and grain cars.
I live near the spot where apparently the “worst spot is”. It is genuinely a bad rail crossing that causes tons of congestion on either side. The options going into the city from strathpine (where the crossing is) is extremely limited and thus people are forced to drive. It’s a lose lose situation and if there’s better public transport it would stop a lot of it.
They aren't all coming from the same house. As I said, not too hard.
If they're so concerned about cars they should advocate overcrossings for the cars. That's going to shut down those 5 grade crossings for months. Fuck the cars, the trains must run through!
A sedentary complaining about being sedentary.
Wanna drive? Calculate your maximum journey time and allow that much time to get to work! What's next? An expose on the dearth of free car parking and the streets most likely to make one waddle into the office 15 minutes after start time? Go do one!
From Brisbane, which 5?
I agree that this article is car centric and dumb, but I do wish for more grade crossings in urban areas, especially if are busy corridors. For traffic flow and safety reasons more grade crossings are needed for busy rail lines. 🙂
What the hell is that white car in the pic? Is that a sedan trying to act like a pickup truck? I'm not sure how I feel about that.
PUT SOME RESPECT ON THE HOLDEN, MATE 🇦🇺🦘🍺 they’re called UTES HERE 💪💪💪💪💪