State-of-the art rail crossing barricades tested in Michigan

[Applachia0928]

@untensil It's because there are protocols and regulations imposed by the FRA that state that all trains must sound their horn for all emergencies, curves, crossings, departures, arrivals, and tests. So it's law, not engineer discretion. Does that answer your question?

[Applachia0928]

@AndrooUK @Alanheath @UncleFeedle

I live in Michigan, and these are only for areas where there are the most train vs car accidents, like that crossing. They are not a danger and the design is only prototypical. They will change and tweak until they have a good design. Didn't you SEE the testing sign at the beginning? Or do all three of you have such HORRIBLE eyesight that you need coke bottle lenses?

[UncleFeedle]

Probably not a good idea. A similar technique is in use here in the UK around certain bus terminals, and idiot drivers attempting short cuts have had their cars get stuck on the bollards as they emerge, unable to drive away. Imagine being in that situation with a train approaching.

[briggsjos]

@UncleFeedle They are designed to come up after the gate falls halfway. but people should know that red means stop its as easy as 1+1=2. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that going through a red means consequences.

[untensil]

I've noticed that north american train drivers use there horn a lot on the approach to railroad crossings, whereas in the UK its a little toot at the most. Anyone know why that is?

[alanheath]

I think (like most other commentors) that this is a shocking idea. I can see this being an additional danger which perhaps is not visible to people driving trucks. A red light means stop, a gate down means stop ... how many more warnings are needed?

[AndrooUK]

Terrible design! The bollards block the exits before the barriers are even down!

[bisbeejim1]

I doubt anyone is going to like something rising up out of the road. I think it is a bad idea.

[MrMartydhinton]

Bring this to va!! we need them

[WPRR1]

I THOUGHT OF THAT!!! But then, I thought... "Why not just put full Road Gates on?"

[mikes47jeep]

by the way anyone notice the conrail paint on that unit?

[mikes47jeep]

why not just put full road width gates?

[chris40539]

yay conrail!

[pigenital]

Impatient idiot at 0:35 turns around and it's only a single locomotive.

[JTinGR]

@pigenital

That "idiot" was a police officer. Perhaps (s)he was going to a call which required a change of direction at that moment in time.

[gregrocks66]

the ground is getting horny

[lp115lp]

Couldn't help but notice these 'barriers' don't extend to the adjacent lane. But I suppose an impatient driver will always stay in their own lane and not try to drive around the barriers. Oooh, silly me: That's what they've been doing all along - isn't it?

Odd then that the FRA told me they didn't HAVE any money for private sector R&D on rail safety.

[offamychain]

HORRIBLE idea. What happens in an ice storm? What happens when they eventually drag a bunch of trash/sand/dirt into the hole with them? A quarter-million dollars to install ....... a million dollars per year to maintain & repair. Just use full length barriers, or 4 barriers at each crossing. Fix a spring-loaded "breakaway" on each so that emergency vehicles can push through if needed. Make sure they SCRATCH if you do decide to go through. That'll keep MOST people from doing it.

[TKRJ1]

welcome to 2011 americans.. we have this for over yeaaaaaaars

[CSXandSpartanfan33]

great piece of technology to keep people safe

[todengine]

A truck barreling through an intersection will kill you just as dead, but you don't see the need for gates, bells, horns, barricades etc. at traffic intersections. Two little read lights are all that are needed. Railroad crossings need traffic signals, the driving public is trained to obey them.

[metraF40PH163]

@todengine Stop lights are ment for intersections not railroad crossings. People know they need to stop they are just to stupid too. You won't be caught at a traffic light for 5 minutes so, people stop. What we have now is great as long as people are safe which, getting your license in my opinion is way too easy.

[Larsky1010]

I've seen these in Europe, and they weren't flexible. They were used to keep everything but buses out of the dedicated busway.

[v12tommy]

I am all for railroad crossing safety, and it was one of my favorite parts of drivers ed in high school, but I don't see the need for these lame barricades. We should educate people about the dangers of going around the gates, but if you try to make a system idiot proof, someone will find a bigger idiot. If someone continues to drive around the gates, then that is just natural selection taking place. They improve the gene pool by potentially removing themselves from it.

[13holywarriors]

what the fuck is that/?? barrier is the best thing for railway crossing.. think abot the taxpayers money dont spend them on stupity..

[hmg789]

ibet theres enough room for at least a small car like a civic or something to sneak between these things....prolly too expensive for most crossings, n itd b cheaper just to install gates at all 4 points.....

[Glodenox]

Flawed by design. If there's no more electricity, barriers come down slowly due to gravity for security reasons. I doubt they've added springs to those poles so they come up in case there's no electricity. As said by others: just add an extra set of barriers that go down with a certain delay - possibly with added vehicle detection devices.

[llokuta]

Don't get me wrong; I'm all for railroad safety. However, this "solution" is overkill. The same end result could be had by installing quad gates at each crossing for a fraction of the cost.

Another point: Look how the "delineators" handeled in the harsh Illinois winter; a DOT worker was manually pushing them down with his foot after the crossing deactivated.

I applaud the effort to idiot proof railroad crossings; but this implementation is overpriced, and subject to "technical glitches".

[llokuta]

@llokuta And yes, I realize I typed "Illinois" instead of Michigan. My mistake.

[rpmangin]

My town of Morrison, IL has the yellow line barricades (not the non-gated lane barricades) up around all the railroad crossings. However, they are up 24/7 and not "train activated."

[oOElEcTrOAtZeOo]

top idea..

[pznerd]

I think it would be too expensive, although its just a test, I think the cheaper alternative is to either:

A) make the gate long enough to go across the entire crossing

B) double up the gates

C) make telescoping gates if there is a clearance issue with idea A.

and for those of you that say "Well what if the gates go down when someone is in-between them, well if your about to lose your life, I'm pretty sure I would drive into the gate and break it, but I'd never be in that situation.

[robertgift]

How absolutely stupid!

Morons coud MANUALLY activate the crossing signals without running locomotives up and down the line.

Why have the red columns?

They block any escape, idiots, if drivers do not know they are flexible.

The rising yellow columns would prevent anyone driving around the gates.

Nice seeing the failure of such a stupid design.

[DaveDoesDigital]

Surely those red posts coming out the ground are on the wrong side? I'd put them on the oncoming lanes not the exit ones, so a) any vehicles caught when they start rising can still leave the crossing and b) anyone trying to get through the barriers - couldn't. You try hitting them at speed and you'll just smash your vehicle up on them leaving the tracks clear.

[he0got0soul]

Double the gates. That's the only real way to keep people from crossing the tracks. Besides, if they are that dumb and still want to cross with the flashing lights, gates, and bells going off like crazy, not to mention the 10 trillion ton train coming, then maybe we don't need them in the gene pool after all. :)

[JudgeJamal]

Or they could just put crossing gates that reach across the entire width of the roadway and save a boatload of taxpayer dollars. Something tells me that it's more about money and less about safety.

[ER801]

@JudgeJamal  You can't block vehicles from exiting the railroad crossing, which is what a gate arm extending accross all lanes would do. "Quad gates" are designed to lower only after traffic has cleared.

[CrackerJackLee]

and when they freeze up... what then...? they can't stop railway switches from freezing... this will never work... i wish it would... but it won't...

[WetDirtProductions]

looks like a pain in my ass to me... just put gates across the whole road. there you go, problem solved. No digging required to install these stupid things.

[chickengeorg123]

i think double gates are easyer and without "going down" fails like this

[theup3985]

Standard median barriers (regular stationary median posts that don't rescind) would be a better solution, but the downside is that it would prevent emergency vehicles from getting through. 4-quadrant gates would be the best solution (though more expensive), because the exit-gates have sensors and delay time, and the exit gates can lift for emergency vehicles if need be. Really though, I think it's all unnecessary to begin with. There's no substitute for good ole fashioned common sense.

[theup3985]

Not the best idea. The motors have to be maintained, it's in a cold weather climate where ice and snow can jam up the motors and cause the barriers to stick, and it's a lawsuit waiting to happen if someone is driving on top of the section of road where the barriers come out when the crossing activates, and the posts come up and do damage to the car's undercarriage...

[ABOBSPRODUCTIONS]

FAIL the bars out of the ground would get stuck as well as ppl will get anxoius and walk and jump right over the damned thing.

[ER801]

Absolutely ridiculous for them to pick a crossing to make a formal presentation on, where the maintainer installed the gate arms improperly. (Upside down, stripes are the wrong way) Just shows their ignorance.

[WARD5KUSTOMZ]

i can understand the ones in the center of the lanes but y are they in the lanes that the car is traveling in? the crazy drivers need to be able to stop and not have to worry about them rods coming up from the bottom. either them rod will bust an oil pan or tear the transmission up. even worse they may punture the floor in the vehicle and could possibly kill somone!!!

[deloreanman14]

I have to wonder how long it will take these to get jammed in the up position....bad idea!

[joeldude76]

seriously i think these are bad ideas i could see somone hitting these as there rising

[Cooler3rick]

quad gates are better

[qwandiddy]

Its not very necessary to put that crap at the signals with gates. They Should put them at all the signals that doesnt have lights or gates.

[JeffyBigH]

these will just get stuck on someones bumber someone whos trying to beat the train and hold them right their for the train to hit

[ahgjhghj]

this is safety,but dangerous in this time.

[gailgrove]

LOL he had to step on it!

[TrainGuy18]

Very bad idea not safe.

[ShiekUrBooty]

If these are installed where the centerline rails block a person from escaping a de-railment, I can see a mega lawsuit pending.

[DigitalEagleInc]

its called Abandoming your vehicle & runing for your life!

[gertgertgert18]

spoor over weg die als trein op aan tocht auto.s die door rood rijden zo ernstige schade toebrengt dat de auto die door rood gereden hebben Total loss zijn

[h3ll0b0b]

The problem with railway crossings and people jumping them is it's not necessarily the person driving in front of the train, and being squashed that worries people, it's a) the psychological impact hitting and killing someone would have on the train driver, and b) the amount of disruptions, inconvenience and loss of revenue it would cause to have the whole line bocked for several hours cleaning up the mess after an accident

[arssk06]

This is absolute stupidity!!! How about putting gates on both sides instead ? This is way worser than pork projects.....someone is making money.....

[KelniusTV]

@arssk06 "worser" is not a word. Your English teacher is crying right now.

But otherwise, very true. That's the first thing I thought of when I saw this.

[ER801]

Wonder what brilliant maintainer put the gate arms on upside down there.

[roadwork2000]

What a waste.. they should have used some Qwick Kurb there and gotten virtualy 100% compliance!

[alexander0025]

it may be a prototype but great idea

[gertgertgert18]

from you idea !! do car not stop for red light 100% damage

[Audinos]

These are a poor design simply because they do not have lights in them. They don't appear to even be reflective and they move too slowly. A better design are the twin-gate systems used in parts of Europe which have heavier bars and under-fencing to effectively prevent anything from driving around or under them. Also, American signals activate far too late. The train has arrived at the crossing by the time these poles have fully extended.

[weeardguy]

@ audinos: There are a few gated level crossings here in the Netherlands that still have those 'fences' under the gates... but even then, a 17 year old girl has recently proved even that won't stop some people... see climbed over the gate... as she was desperate to get her train, which was almost departing from the platform at the other side of the crossing, and died as an intercity-train 'grabbed' her This idea looks rather slow and impraticle to me.

[NBAisman]

It used to be that areas with increased train traffic would have crossing gates installed. Lines with little to no traffic wouldn't have any gates. Nowdays it don't seem to matter.

[CMDRSweeper]

Main problem I have seen is people getting stuck AT the crossing itself, car may have stalled out, mechanical problems or whatever, and then the train comes, already I am seeing people being reluctant to smash through the gates to clear out of the train in such situations, this system would make it totally unfeasable to do that.

[hwyfan]

Quad gates would probably be the better investment. As this installation is in Michigan, I'm not so sure the retractable bollards would be able to operate proficiently through a cold, icy winter without ever getting stuck in mid-transition.

[nickmax11]

i can see thes things fail and cause a accadent. well think about if a car got stuck in the mittle of the gates like if the enging stalld or somthing then theyr serewd

[nickmax11]

why dont thay put quad gates down it might be a little more cheeper but it is a nice idea but expensive

[arkema101]

This is located in Belville Mi. Denton Road I believe. Just south of Michigan Avenue. It's also the main Amtrak line..

[bwitz72]

So any updates on this project? I don't think this is a good idea.. too much can go wrong, and WAY too expensive. People just need to grow a brain cell and learn not to try to beat these things. You can't totally eliminate people from dying doing stupid things.

[nickmax11]

i soo agree

[radtek67]

Absolutely - flashing red lights, barricades across your lane, train whistle blasting - perhaps all these things should suggest that it is a bad idea to cross the tracks. Imagine the cost of embedding these things in the road. It's time that people took a bit of responsibility for their own lives. Mark the crossings well - make sure that bells and barricades are in good shape, but don't take money out of everyone's pockets by spending at least $100k (conservatively) for this silliness.

[GintaPPE1000]

@radtek67 The problem is that we have to spend money to account for other people's stupidity-because we're a so-called moral nation.

[Dershnof]

They need to make the gate arm cover the entire length of the roadway..making it imposable for any vehicle to go around.

[ER801]

Not a good idea, you can't block the exit lane with the gate arm, thats why quad gates don't lower until after the main gates lower.

[llokuta]

Trust me, I'm the biggest advocate for installing devices to prevent cars from running activated crossings, but a good point was brought up - why not just install quad gates? It has got to be cheaper. This installation cost over $250,000 for one crossing as per the video commentary! And, I can see lots of malfunctions with extreme weather.

[jimmykneesall]

It seems to me like this could be quite expensive and very prone to mechanical failure. Surely it would be cheaper to just have 2 sets of gates that cover both sides of the road. That's what most level crossings are like in Britain.

[itsmememe]

What ignorant maintainer put those gate arms on upside down? How stupid to have that shown in a promotional video even!

[marshmallower]

They shouldn't have the red ones come up so soon cause it can suspend your car up if you were just going over the crossing right when it activated and then there's no escaping and the train will smash right through the car. But I think its still a good idea just needs better timing

[white14flamesucks]

i know they should not come up untill the gate on the other side of the same lane has gone down completely and after it has gone down it shouldnt go up untill 5 sec after

[Bellwestern80]

In Britain, they use quad gates and barrier like fences hang down and retract when they go up. (see a video with them crossings)

[ttlyawesome]

Its a good idea, but I see a few problems:

1 - suppose someone gets stuck on the wrong side of the ones across the lane of traffic?

2 - they raise rather slowly, and can be pushed down by foot. Encouraging?

3 - Suppose one went into the underside of a car? Although they probably thought of that and it isn't obvious.

4 - It seems like they should raise faster than that. And later.

[alextact]

Great idea. They need to be thicker than that though. Those are not likely to stop a large truck/semi. They should also have reflectors on them for easier night time visibility.

[DL2045]

it's a good idea, but what happenes when an ice storn hits and they are frozne?

[hachimroku]

I think it's a great idea and shoulp be implemented wherever financially possible.

[ITALIANdaSTALION]

great idea, might work in a city but otherwise that would cost way too much money, and in the future i dont think we will be seeing many of them..

[crapper1]

i can see one person seeing that they can bend and they plow them over just like some people plow thru the fiberglass gates they need to make the gates steel and lock them down in the ground so if somone hits it they will be needing severe body work to the car

[Alachua1992]

Germany knows how to make the best barriers that are more effective and cost less. I saw them in small towns outside of Munchen and near Dresden.

[shostetler]

LOL, look it's getting erect! :)

[vadim001]

Не зря говорят, что американцы тупые )) Неужели нельзя было поставить вместо боковых выдвижных колушков просто разделительный барьер, это было бы дешевле )))

[anicaasharp]

lol

[whocares1c]

if the police can drive over them and have them bend what will stop others?

[DamnHook]

I don't see the reason on wasting all that money on those yellow ones. Just put the red barricades all the way across! Would make more sense. For police and such needing by in an emergency, can they drive trough a train!? The only need for them to be flexible is if they were to get stuck up. But as we just saw, they can be pushed down if needed.

[itsmememe]

Some unrealistic nerd stuck in an office somewhere is trying to reinvent the wheel.

[tdndavid]

All the posts are flexible, in the event an emergency vehicle needed to get through them they would flex when driven over.

[chatanugadotorg]

The ones blocking the left-hand lane on the approach to the crossing would have to be flexible to keep from trapping vehicles on the crossing. Only problem is that if people realize that the posts are flexible, then people can drive right through them. How are they pushed up and down? With different extremes of weather (snow, rain, ice, etc.), I see a lot of potential of mechanical failure with them.

[Ludicrouskill1]

@tdndavid then what would stop me from running over them

[GlenbardSouth10]

This is not a good idea. IF someone tries to race the gates, their car gets totaled. I do like the fact that they upgraded the crossing without taking out the GRS plastic lights, but in general, this is a really bad idea.

[nikosjk1]

If they try to race the gates and get hit by the train the car also gets totaled....

[Alachua1992]

Who says that people are trying to "race the gates" or "beat the train" Often, with heavy traffic and bright sunlight, the active lights are just not seen. They need to be bright like the ones that police use, not 1930s era lighting.

[ESRRX]

Are these barriers flexible in that if a driver hits them or drives over them, they bend down like traffic cones? If they are solid metal then they aren't a good idea.

[SPACE3200]

Lawsuits

[SPACE3200]

Looks to me like more wasted MONEY......