To stop and look at railway crossing

[Peardropping]

Where I live there is a railway crossing you have to drive over to get to one of our local parks

Every time I cross it in the car, when the barriers are up, I still stop the car and look both ways to check there are no trains.

Much to the tutting of DH who says I don't know why you do that, there's not going to be a train when the barriers are up.

I should point out that DH is a train driver.

But IMO the barriers are only controlled by technology. Which can fail, as much as any other computer system can fail.

I drive to the park 99% of the time when we all go together (DH drives many miles to and from work so I tend to do the family driving bit, but even so, this screams control freak, so even if he was driving I would want him to stop at the railway bridge, which, he wouldn't).

AIBU?

yes

I wouldn't because where I live there are several level crossings with lights, but in a 30mph zone on a main road and I would hold up traffic if I stopped and looked or someone might go into the back of me if I suddenly stopped when there were no lights flashing.

You can be fairly sure that the barriers will work.

No YANBU.

I always do, or at least slow right down and take a good look.
Legacy of growing up in a very rural area and an era where there were ungated crossings, and signs saying"Give way to trains". Which even as a young'uns struck me as ridiculous- were there honestly people who thought they'd see if the train would give way to them?

My town would grind to a half if everyone did that. I know what you mean though. I have to force myself to not think about what 'could' happen.

I don't stop and look, because there are so many around here I would be stopping all the time, but I do have a look to both sides when I'm approaching.

Heck yeah. Still look!

I look left and right when crossing a one way street, even though there would be no traffic coming from the one direction!

It depends. Is there traffic? If there is then you are the one causing a dangerous situation.

Yab a bit U.
While I can kind of see where you are coming from I can also see how it would be really annoying if you drive through it often.

There’s a v busy level crossing in the town I grew up in. It’s been there for decades and nobody’s ever been run over by a train there or at least not when the gates are up

If there's a signal failure on a railway line all signals for the trains fail to red, so the trains have to stop.

If one single train passes a signal at danger (goes through a red signal), then all nearby signals automatically change to red, others a few signals back turn to yellow to slow trains down to half speed.

Essentially, in the case of a signal failure the trains on a line are stopped and they ain't going anywhere for quite a long time. I've also been stopped at some level crossings and the barriers won't open if trains are within a certain distance of it. There are boxes on the tracks and within the trains that detect one another.

That's my rather simplistic understanding. I like trains.

I always stop and look!! You just never know, technology isn’t infallible.

I don't think YANBU - but like a PP I grew up in a rural area in the days when you got ungated, unmanned crossings. And there were a few hideous accidents.

But these days - it's highly unlikely the technology would fail. And to be fair - your DH is probably in a position to speak authoritatively about this!

I slow down, have a quick peep then hold breath and pray as I drive over the tracks! Hate it!

I always look both ways when crossing as a pedestrian. I'd imagine I would do similar in a car (depending on road layout etc). Logically, you don't need to but I hate crossing rail tracks so ot makes me feel better.

Remembers the public health videos we had to watch at school where children who walked on railway tracks got hit my trains.

In answer to the traffic situation/ being dangerous to stop....
It's not a main road, the road leading up to the crossing is used regularly (for park and local tip) and there is the train station car park on that road too, but it's never busy enough (or fast enough) to cause a pile up. The road itself is not straight forward so it forces you to slow down anyway (very hard to explain!)

My DH is a TIC for signalling and safety on the railways. He knows the stuff is supposed to work, how, failures erg AND is used to trains passing him at speed. He checks even the (maintained spur line) crossing near us that hasn't been used in about 10 years.

You're right OP, same with zebra crossings.

I stop and look because on the one I use, the traffic in front can slow and stop. If I blithely went straight ahead in the traffic stream, it's possible I could be stranded on the actual lines.

Not a great explanation, sorry, perhaps a better one would be I treat that crossing the same as I'd treat a box junction, leaving enough room for my car to get right across and looking for trains before I cross the lines.

Blankface

Whole new level for me there !!! Very good point

YANBU There was a near miss locally when the barrier didn't come down.

Train nearly hit a car I was following over a local crossing - barriers were up! YANBU, better safe than sorry