I’ve just had a look at the part of the Southwestern Expressways Reading route between Reading West and Theale. Back in the eighties I lived near the line and regularly used to walk across the fields to the railway track. There was an open foot crossing across the track which I thought at the time seemed dangerous, Looking at the SWE route, I am shocked to discover that the crossing is still there (or at least it was in 2010 when the route was set). Trains come along here at a fair old lick. I’m surprised that the crossing hasn’t been closed for health and safety reasons. We are told not to trespass on the railway yet a perfectly legal foot crossing is in place on a fast stretch of line. Very odd.
I think the difference is that crossings are expected to be used and trains will sound a warning as they approach. Use them properly (i.e. with the same sort of caution you expect from someone crossing a road) and they should be safe.
Indeed but the problem with trying to make everything idiot-proof is that idiots will always find ingenious new ways of being idiots. There was an accident at a foot crossing not far from me a few years ago which made the news because a couple of kids were killed. There was some suggestion that the children were larking about which seemed to be largely dismissed because children should be joyous and innocent and carefree and... honestly my thought was, no... not when they're crossing the East Coast Mail Line. To be sure this was a terrible thing and those kids, and particularly their families of course, payed too dearly for their inattention (if they were gadding about- I don't recall any follow up).
There are lots of crossings like that on many different lines, especially in rural areas. As mentioned above, these crossings are marked to drivers with whistle boards (W) and have large red and white warning signs at the crossings for pedestrians. There are routes I've played in TS that have these crossings in and I've even seen people in the game at the side of the line waiting to cross.
I know there are a lot of foot crossings but this one is on a main line and I have stood next to the line and seen the trains going past very fast. Even though they are probably slowing down for Southcote Crossing and Reading Station by then, they are still going pretty fast. Still, I’m not aware of any serious incidents here.
One infamous crossing on SWEW has been removed now - that's the one between Theale and Aldermaston where an HST hit a car and derailed killing several people. Footcrossings on 100mph line are surprisingly common - NR would like to remove them all but time and cost are issues.
Honestly: There are no dangerous Railway-Crossings Those level crossings are only dangerous if you don't follow a few simple rules.
There are a few dangerous ones - as in they have a high number of risk factors. Of course if everyone does right then all is safe, but human factors come into play and sometimes sight lines are not what they should be. There was an interesting discussion about some of the phone permission crossings in rural wales, midway through a long section - turns out the signaller having a train in section for 20-30 mins and unable to permit users to cross lead to people instead going off the timetable. Fine on a Sunday where no trains were scheduled, until someone got ran over by an engineering train. RIAB had some choice words about how giving vague wait 20 mins for the train to clear section and call back lead to rule breaking
No doubt many of these crossings are there to preserve rights of way and can't just be removed without being replaced with a bridge or underpass. I know that the footbridge at Darlington Bank Top is a bit of a thorn in the side for NR- it's inconveniently sited and it doesn't really serve any useful purpose as far as the station is concerned but it keeps a right of way open.