Skip to main content

Cameras to target dangerous drivers at West Sussex level crossing

The UK’s Network Rail is installing red light safety cameras at a level crossing in West Sussex to stop drivers putting lives at risk. The new cameras will be equipped with number plate recognition technology, meaning motorists misusing the crossing can now be automatically identified and prosecuted by British Transport Police. These types of cameras were first introduced on Britain’s rail network in 2015 and, according to Network Rail, have since proven to be extremely successful with driver non-comp
February 10, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
The UK’s 5021 Network Rail is installing red light safety cameras at a level crossing in West Sussex to stop drivers putting lives at risk.

The new cameras will be equipped with number plate recognition technology, meaning motorists misusing the crossing can now be automatically identified and prosecuted by British Transport Police.

These types of cameras were first introduced on Britain’s rail network in 2015 and, according to Network Rail, have since proven to be extremely successful with driver non-compliance down by as much as 90 per cent at some crossings.

Located on the busy Sussex West Coastway rail line between Barnham and Ford stations, Yapton level crossing is one of the most misused crossings in the south east, with incidents of drivers jumping red lights, vehicles striking and weaving around barriers and queuing over the crossing as the barriers come down occurring almost daily.  In one recent incident, a motorist drove onto the track causing 21 train cancellations and severe service disruption which cost the rail industry US$200,000 (£160,000).

Yapton is a half barrier level crossing which is triggered automatically by approaching trains. In addition to the barriers which descend, there are flashing warning lights and an audible ‘yodel’ alarm to alert road users and pedestrians that a train is approaching. On average, 300 trains pass over the crossing each day. The full line speed of 75mph has been reduced to 35mph to reduce the likelihood a collision between a train and vehicle.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Hampshire Constabulary opts for Truvelo speed enforcement
    March 8, 2013
    The UK’s Hampshire Constabulary’s Safer Roads Unit has recently introduced new mobile speed enforcement technology to combat excessive speeds on the county’s roads. The LASERwitness Lite from Truvelo comprises laser speed measurement and digital video technology, combined with built in infra-red illumination for night time operation. The unit is extremely compact and can even be deployed from a police motorcycle if desired. This is beneficial in those locations where there is no suitable parking for a spe
  • Foundation funds research for informed campaigning
    April 29, 2015
    ITS International talks to Professor Stephen Glaister, director of the transport research and lobbying organisation, the RAC Foundation. It is through the eyes of an economist that Professor Stephen Glaister, emeritus professor of transport and infrastructure at Imperial College London and director of the RAC Foundation, views current and future transport problems. Having spent 30 years at the London School of Economics and another 10 at Imperial, the move to the RAC Foundation was a radical departure from
  • RIDOT's wrong-way driving systems ‘halt close to fifty potential crashes’
    May 6, 2016
    One year after its debut, Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) says its investment in wrong-way driving detection technology is proving to be very successful – none of the 47 wrong-way driving incidents where these systems have been installed has resulted in a wrong-way crash. Working with the Rhode Island State Police, RIDOT identified 24 high-risk locations for installing this technology at select ramps along I-95, I-195, Route 146, Route 10, Route 4, Route 6 and Routes 6/10 at Memorial Boule
  • Technology solution needed to counter mobile phone menace
    March 29, 2017
    With the UK set to increase the penalties for using mobile phones while driving, the RAC Foundation’s Steve Gooding considers what else can be done to combat this deadly distraction. The first mobile phone call was made in 1973, by an engineer working for Motorola. Today 4.7 billion people across the globe subscribe to a mobile service.