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| Follow the leader even at a level crossing 13/04/2015 at 11:06 #71022 | |
northroad
872 posts |
Now this what I call just plain stupid but it would appear that no-one is going to take action or get prosecuted. Wonder what would have happened if it was in the UK...perhaps we would have set the route over a footbridge if there was one  http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/apr/13/railway-company-complain-paris-roubaix-riders-ignore-level-crossing Last edited: 13/04/2015 at 11:08 by northroad Log in to reply |
| Follow the leader even at a level crossing 13/04/2015 at 11:21 #71023 | |
jc92
3685 posts |
I wonder what the Linespeed is there. we don't have AHB's for anything over 100mph.
"We don't stop camborne wednesdays" Log in to reply |
| Follow the leader even at a level crossing 13/04/2015 at 11:28 #71024 | |
Firefly
521 posts |
Glad to see they waited for the barriers to raise. Most deaths happen when people cross behind one train and don't consider there may be one coming the other way.
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| Follow the leader even at a level crossing 13/04/2015 at 14:04 #71026 | |
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Jersey_Mike
250 posts |
You can't blame the cyclists for that. They are focused on competing in a race. A railroad crossing has about as much meaning to them as traffic signs and signals that they also are not expected to obey. The onus is on the organizers to make sure that rail traffic is shut down...or that the race does not cross a rail line at grade.
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| Follow the leader even at a level crossing 13/04/2015 at 14:10 #71027 | |
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Muzer
718 posts |
I'd have thought that the bloody great barrier blocking your way that you have to actively cycle around would be somewhat of a clue. Or are you trying to tell me that cyclists are so braindead and running on instinct alone that they don't even notice this?
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| Follow the leader even at a level crossing 13/04/2015 at 14:26 #71029 | |
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northroad
872 posts |
Can you imagine what would have happened if, like just the other day in a race, one came off and then thirty or so went into him and there was bodies every where. Easily done I would have thought. The police outrider who tried to stop them all was as much use as a chocolate fire guard to start off with. Log in to reply |
| Follow the leader even at a level crossing 13/04/2015 at 14:46 #71030 | |
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Jersey_Mike
250 posts |
" said:I'd have thought that the bloody great barrier blocking your way that you have to actively cycle around would be somewhat of a clue. Or are you trying to tell me that cyclists are so braindead and running on instinct alone that they don't even notice this?This wasn't a fun run, it was for money. A lot of money. If I remember correctly when some British air transport safety organization wanted to simulate the complete dysfunction created when a jetliner cabin was on fire, all they had to do was offer money to the first people off the plane. Log in to reply |
| Follow the leader even at a level crossing 13/04/2015 at 15:06 #71031 | |
Steamer
3984 posts |
" said:I wonder what the Linespeed is there. we don't have AHB's for anything over 100mph.According to another forum, the train was on a 'classic' line, so I suspect it's relatively low by TGV standards. " said: Option B is preferable, although I believe option A is used during the Tour-de-France and possibly other races. The individuals themselves are primarily responsible- they know what barriers going down mean and what the rules of the race were. Fortunately the driver (and police etc.) didn't have to deal with the aftermath of half a dozen people being run over. Hopefully the race organisers will be forced to disqualify those involved, as letting them get away with it sets a bad precedent for both future races and the public as a whole. "Don't stress/ relax/ let life roll off your backs./ Except for death and paying taxes/ everything in life.../ is only for now." (Avenue Q) Last edited: 13/04/2015 at 15:07 by Steamer Log in to reply |
| Follow the leader even at a level crossing 13/04/2015 at 16:14 #71032 | |
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clive
2789 posts |
" said:"We offered five pounds to the first 50 people to get off the plane." "What did you discover?" "Two pounds fifty would have been enough." Log in to reply |
| Follow the leader even at a level crossing 13/04/2015 at 19:01 #71036 | |
Peter Bennet
5402 posts |
" said:You can't blame the cyclists for that.You should write for the Evening Standard. Petr I identify as half man half biscuit - crumbs! Log in to reply The following users said thank you: kbarber, GoochyB, northroad, peterb, Temple Meads |
| Follow the leader even at a level crossing 13/04/2015 at 22:49 #71043 | |
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Finger
220 posts |
" said:Wonder what would have happened if it was in the UK...perhaps we would have set the route over a footbridge if there was one :( Why? It would be just the same in the UK. For example, last year's Tour de France ran over this LC: https://goo.gl/maps/OBjNy " said: You can't blame the cyclists for that. They are focused on competing in a race. A railroad crossing has about as much meaning to them as traffic signs and signals that they also are not expected to obey. Seriously, you CAN blame the cyclists for that. Crossing a closed LC is a serious violation of the rules of cycling races, and this is an established rule used all over the world. The rules also state how to deal with the situation (basically the race gets neutralized). The ones that crossed should be DQ'd under this rule, and if they haven't been, that is a fault of the organizers. Log in to reply |
| Follow the leader even at a level crossing 13/04/2015 at 23:37 #71044 | |
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Muzer
718 posts |
At least that's an MCB (or CCTV/MCB-OD if the crossing box has closed since my Quail map was printed). Did it go over any AHBCs?
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| Follow the leader even at a level crossing 14/04/2015 at 10:06 #71046 | |
ozrail
197 posts |
You CAN blame the cyclists for is incident and I hope someone is charged. I feel sorry for the poor driver being confronted by this stupidity.
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| Follow the leader even at a level crossing 14/04/2015 at 10:09 #71047 | |
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RainbowNines
272 posts |
I'm a fan of cycling and partake myself. The Evening Standard is right to support cyclists - in London every Road user is as bad as each other (I have driven, cycled and walked in town - everyone is a clown). I watched Paris-Roubaix live. Level crossings have always been a feature of the race and a couple of blokes were disqualified in 2006 for crossing with barriers down. I think there's a lot left to be desired with organisation... After the barriers came up the organisers held the first half of the peloton back to allow those held up to catch up. If they'd made it clear that this would be the plan they probably wouldn't have been so desperate to get across. One defence for some who went through while they were coming down is that they were riding on a closed Roadat a far higher speed than vehicle traffic would be going. They probably didn't even note the lights and barriers. But when all said and done, barriers are there for a reason and this was stupid. I was more surprised by the number of gendarmes they'd persuaded to work a Sunday!!! Log in to reply |
| Follow the leader even at a level crossing 14/04/2015 at 10:25 #71048 | |
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Danny252
1461 posts |
" said:Is it not standard practise to do so? What I've seen posted elsewhere implies that it's been done before. Log in to reply |
| Follow the leader even at a level crossing 14/04/2015 at 11:38 #71050 | |
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RainbowNines
272 posts |
The peloton does slow down for a number of reasons, but if you don't explicitly say so (and I don't think Paris-Roubaix organisers do - although happy to be corrected), a cyclist will probably assume you won't slow it down. Like I say - I don't really think it's an excuse and I wasn't trying to defend. Don't know what the linespeed is round there but the TGV didn't pass at an exceptional speed (I'm not a great judge of speed but it didn't seem that quick) so I assume the driver saw what was occurring and slowed down. That he's had to do that is unforgivable enough, IMO. The gendarme was a total waste of time. I've just watched it back again - far more went round than the original live footage showed. Not great is it... Last edited: 14/04/2015 at 11:39 by RainbowNines Log in to reply |
| Follow the leader even at a level crossing 14/04/2015 at 12:51 #71051 | |
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Jersey_Mike
250 posts |
" said:You CAN blame the cyclists for is incident and I hope someone is charged. I feel sorry for the poor driver being confronted by this stupidity.The organizers put the cyclists in a no-win situation. They should get the blame, not humans acting like humans. Also give individual people some credit for having the ability to choose the amount of risk they are willing to take and for being able to handle somewhat startling events. This notion that people are akin to glass figurines that need to be protected at all costs is ultimately harmful to society. Log in to reply |
| Follow the leader even at a level crossing 14/04/2015 at 14:16 #71061 | |
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Muzer
718 posts |
" said:" said:But you seem to be forgetting that killing people has an aftermath. If it only affected the person taking the risk, in isolation, I'd probably agree with you. But it doesn't. Most obviously it affects the train driver. It affects all the passengers on the line who are delayed by that person's stupidity. It affects the people who have to clean up the mess. If you do it in a car, you could end up killing many more people if the train derails. Allowing people to take risks on level crossings is a terrible idea.You CAN blame the cyclists for is incident and I hope someone is charged. I feel sorry for the poor driver being confronted by this stupidity.The organizers put the cyclists in a no-win situation. They should get the blame, not humans acting like humans. Log in to reply The following users said thank you: MikeW, LucasLCC, Steamer, TimTamToe, Temple Meads |
| Follow the leader even at a level crossing 14/04/2015 at 15:48 #71066 | |
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Danny252
1461 posts |
" said:But you seem to be forgetting that killing people has an aftermath.I'm not sure he forgets - as far as I can tell, he just doesn't care, as long as it ensures that the signalling is cheap. Log in to reply |
| Follow the leader even at a level crossing 14/04/2015 at 17:44 #71079 | |
GeoffM
6376 posts 
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" said:The organizers put the cyclists in a no-win situation. They should get the blame, not humans acting like humans.My goodness, I actually agree with you. From what I read in the media, the organisers have their heads firmly buried in the sand over this, along with very slopey shoulders. SimSig Boss Log in to reply |
| Follow the leader even at a level crossing 14/04/2015 at 22:37 #71098 | |
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ozrail
197 posts |
It's only the outcome that makes this debate possible. If one or more cyclist had be killed this incident would have be seen differently.
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| Follow the leader even at a level crossing 15/04/2015 at 13:05 #71115 | |
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Jersey_Mike
250 posts |
" said:It's only the outcome that makes this debate possible. If one or more cyclist had be killed this incident would have be seen differently.I think the best analogy is motorsport where drivers would die in crashes on unsafe courses. Yes one could blame the driver to driving too aggressively, but you can't expect competitors not to compete. Take the LeMans start where the flag would drop and drivers would run to their cars, get in and go. Well to save time the drivers would often not fasten their safety equipment and eventually someone was killed on the first lap because of this. Even if you had a rule requiring the drivers to fully harness themselves you know that they would still cut whatever corners they could, so that's why the LeMans start was discontinued. Log in to reply |