Pooley Green Level Crossing

Saturday June 29 2024 at 5.48. The 5.11 Clapham Junction to Ascot (6.05) train. Came here in 2011: • Pooley Green Level Cro... and in 2017: • Pooley Green Level Cro... A couple of level crossing filmers have got confused and said that this crossing was upgraded last year but of course it wasn't. Parts of it were renewed but there probably hasn't been an upgrade here for 20 years. For the first time in its 168 year life 'Keep Crossing Clear' signs were fitted though. These do seem to be pointless although a bus got stuck on the crossing in 2000 when it had half barriers. Everyone got off, the barriers came down and an empty train wrecked the bus. There was enough time to get all the passengers off safely and use the emergency phone but not enough for danger signals to stop the train apparently. Very sadly, in 2023 a motor cyclist was killed here. Originally there were 12 level crossings east of Egham where there are now 3.

[@theconceptualist8626]

Does it really take that long at a crossing in the UK? We’ve been spoiled with the mandated 20 seconds here in the US.

[@c.s-crossings]

There are quite a few different types of crossing in the UK, and they all work in different ways. Your railroad crossings in the States are all the same: all automatic, no supervision, entirely up to the road user to not cause an accident. Most of ours, like this one, have to be closed and checked by remote control while the train is still a safe distance away in case it needs to be stopped. Our closest equivalent to yours are automatic half-barrier crossings, which have barriers only closing the entrance half of the road and only take a mandated 27 seconds (a slower train will take longer, but rarely more than a minute).