# Are more people trying to beat trains at crossings? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 15, 2021, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-people-trying-to-beat-trains-at-crossings/950695 "2021-09-15T11:43:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-people-trying-to-beat-trains-at-crossings/950695/61 "2021-09-17T15:04:50Z")
A level crossing crosses at the ‘same level.’ An alternative to that would be the tracks passing under in a tunnel or overhead. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-people-trying-to-beat-trains-at-crossings/950695/62 "2021-09-17T15:17:45Z")
But does anyone call a tunnel a “railroad crossing”? If I saw a sign “Railroad Crossing Ahead”, I’d bet 100% of the time it’d be a “level crossing”. And I’d be very surprised if I slowed down and looked for a crossing and there it was: a RR bridge overhead. So I guess I think the word “level” is unneeded, and maybe an old Britishism. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-people-trying-to-beat-trains-at-crossings/950695/63 "2021-09-17T15:24:46Z")
Little bit British, yeah. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-people-trying-to-beat-trains-at-crossings/950695/64 "2021-09-17T17:54:23Z")
> [@Mnemnosyne](#): > > Two: All crossings must have a mandatory sight-distance possible while approaching. that actually makes things worse. It would encourage people running the gates. We had the same problem with traffic lights. People would see the crossing lane change and time their green light so they go through at speed. they would end up hitting people who push through on yellow and run a red light. Now, at least in my area, all lights have sleeves projecting from the lenses to block the view from the side. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-people-trying-to-beat-trains-at-crossings/950695/65 "2021-09-17T18:11:33Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > What made it scary was there was a flatbed that had just a bit of wood on it and kids and adult pedestrians were going over and under that flatbed even passing bikes to each other under the train car It’s not as scary as sounds the train pulls out very slowly and there is slack between each car. You hear each car bang forward in succession. Of course, it’s something to heartily discourage. Trains make poor surf boards so keeping kids off them should limit the temptation. ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-people-trying-to-beat-trains-at-crossings/950695/66 "2021-09-17T18:29:08Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I think the reason that US crossings don’t have bars on both sides is that you don’t want the bars to trap a car inside them. If you enter the crossing just before the bar comes down behind you, then you need to get out of there NOW, and there’d better not be a bar in front of you, too. > > I don’t know how other countries address this problem. I’ve seen a few videos about this exact situation. For some reason I’ve long been a fan of what you might call “Russian car crash videos.” Seem to be a lot of them from Russia, maybe it’s because of Vodka. Anyway. In some cases, when a car becomes trapped inside the barriers, the driver bails out before the car gets hit. Other times, I’ve seen nearby pedestrians come to the rescue by lifting up the barrier to allow the car to escape. ---
**Author:** ![split\_p\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e19b73/32.png) [@split\_p\_j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/split_p_j)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-people-trying-to-beat-trains-at-crossings/950695/67 "2021-09-17T20:04:51Z")
Yes, more people are trying to beat the trains at crossings now due to an operating model that almost all major “Class 1” railroads have adopted over the past 5 years. Average train length has increased, while the average speed has decreased. On my territory the average train length is now about 10,000 feet, double of what it was in years past. The public has noticed this, and now just assume long delays if they get stuck at crossings. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-people-trying-to-beat-trains-at-crossings/950695/68 "2021-09-17T20:28:42Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > A level crossing crosses at the ‘same level.’ An alternative to that would be the tracks passing under in a tunnel or overhead. I’ve also heard “grade crossing” for “level crosssing”. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-people-trying-to-beat-trains-at-crossings/950695/69 "2021-09-17T21:20:54Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > I’ve also heard “grade crossing” That’s the most common American usage in my experience. Over the past few years the USDOT yearly budget for [grade crossing safety](https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/hsip/xings/), including relocating crossings or separating the traffic where viable and cost-effective, has been around $240 million. ---
**Author:** ![split\_p\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e19b73/32.png) [@split\_p\_j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/split_p_j)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-people-trying-to-beat-trains-at-crossings/950695/70 "2021-09-17T21:22:34Z")
U.S. uses the term grade crossing for public roads. A highway over pass above the tracks is called an over grade bridge or “OGB”, an under pass a “UGB”. The term level crossing in the U.S. is for when the tracks cross other tracks at grade. These terms have distinct meanings, aka defined in our rule books. As an example of how we use these terms, if a truck were to get stuck on road crossing, we would be told that there is a vehicle stuck on the grade crossing at milepost 187.65. For a bridge strike it would be a vehicle has struck the UGB at milepost 92.23. ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-people-trying-to-beat-trains-at-crossings/950695/71 "2021-09-17T22:14:47Z")
> [@split\_p\_j](#): > > Yes, more people are trying to beat the trains at crossings now due to an operating model that almost all major “Class 1” railroads have adopted over the past 5 years. Average train length has increased, while the average speed has decreased. On my territory the average train length is now about 10,000 feet, double of what it was in years past. I guess that’s the PSR ( Precision Scheduled Railroading ) I’ve been reading about that’s been going around and becoming all the rage with many Class-1 RRs. Running real land barges, but fewer of them, in deference to cost cutting. ( I’ve also heard it referred to “precision stock manipulation” ) 😉 ---
**Author:** ![split\_p\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e19b73/32.png) [@split\_p\_j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/split_p_j)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2021, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-people-trying-to-beat-trains-at-crossings/950695/72 "2021-09-18T00:33:13Z")
Fewer crews, fewer locomotives. Management will say velocity is up, but those numbers are based on the amount of time cars spend sitting in the major yards. It may be true that the cars get pushed through the yards faster but then they leave on these huge trains and sit on the mainlines now. They are not getting to and from the customers faster. U.S. freight operations are totally opposite of Europe’s short fast trains. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2021, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-people-trying-to-beat-trains-at-crossings/950695/73 "2021-09-18T22:23:53Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > The gates are also fairly easy to knock out of the way. Probably scrape up your paint and maybe leave some dents, but it’s better than being hit by a train. Sure, but there’s an aversion to doing so, especially when people aren’t stopping to think about it. Which is, of course, part of the reason the gates work in the first place. @nearwildheaven , my main takeaway from that video you posted is that that railway is just terribly designed. The truck started decelerating as soon as the signal started, and still got caught under the barrier. At that point, pretty much anything the driver did was going to cause damage. And the tracks run right down the lane of a road? What’s a driver supposed to do if they’re going down that road when the train comes? ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2021, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-people-trying-to-beat-trains-at-crossings/950695/74 "2021-09-18T23:42:04Z")
Trains not running as much during lockdowns probably would explain at least some occasions where drivers wrongly think they’re safe to drive across. Wouldn’t have occurred to me, but it does make sense that some drivers and pedestrians need reminding now that the trains are running again. > [@digs](#): > > But does anyone call a tunnel a “railroad crossing”? > > If I saw a sign “Railroad Crossing Ahead”, I’d bet 100% of the time it’d be a “level crossing”. And I’d be very surprised if I slowed down and looked for a crossing and there it was: a RR bridge overhead. > > So I guess I think the word “level” is unneeded, and maybe an old Britishism. It’s not an “old” Britishism, it’s just the term for those crossings in the UK. It’s to separate them from the others sorts of crossings, like zebra crossings, pelican crossings, etc. There are pedestrian crossings over railway tracks that require using steps or a ramp, so not all crossings over railways are level crossings. I don’t think US English has as many descriptions for crossings using the word crossing, so it would probably be unneeded as a word there, but it’s not unneeded here. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2021, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-people-trying-to-beat-trains-at-crossings/950695/75 "2021-09-18T23:45:22Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > It’s to separate them from the others sorts of crossings, like zebra crossings, pelican crossings, etc. Wow, those sound a lot more exotic than the deer crossings we get in the US. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2021, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-people-trying-to-beat-trains-at-crossings/950695/76 "2021-09-19T00:07:14Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > It’s not an “old” Britishism, it’s just the term for those crossings in the UK. It’s to separate them from the others sorts of crossings, like zebra crossings, pelican crossings, etc. - Albatross! ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2021, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-people-trying-to-beat-trains-at-crossings/950695/77 "2021-09-19T00:17:56Z")
I know what a zebra crossing is, but what the heck is a pelican crossing? Is that where Chief Inspector Bright is on duty??? ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2021, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-people-trying-to-beat-trains-at-crossings/950695/78 "2021-09-19T00:41:05Z")
Not that sort of crossing! Zebra crossing - the black and white stripes the Beetles walked across. Don’t usually have traffic lights Pelican crossing - a crossing with traffic lights, a big yellow ball on a stick (Belisha beacon) on each side of the crossing, and a button to press that shows a red or green man on the other side. The US has very similar crossings, of course Puffin - a crossing with the big yellow ball and the traffic lights, but the red/green man are on the pole on the pedestrian side, and cars can’t turn onto them if their light is on amber. Definitely better, because buses sometimes mean you can’t see the green man on the other side Toucan - a crossing for bikes (pushbikes in cycle lanes) and pedestrians (toucan = two can). Actually pretty useful these days Pegasus - a crossing for pedestrians and horses. Really uncommon. Exists more for the name than anything else. Basically, the zebra was named due to the stripes, the pelican was an acronym of sorts, and then the rest got built off the pelican. It’s all a bit whimsical but it is easier to remember than more everyday terms. I mean, if you live in the UK. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2021, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-people-trying-to-beat-trains-at-crossings/950695/79 "2021-09-19T01:04:55Z")
This is what all that rain does to people… ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2021, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-people-trying-to-beat-trains-at-crossings/950695/80 "2021-09-19T03:41:10Z")
> [@Limmin](#): > > I’ve seen a few videos about this exact situation. For some reason I’ve long been a fan of what you might call “Russian car crash videos.” Seem to be a lot of them from Russia, maybe it’s because of Vodka. Anyway… There’s a whole movie of 'em! Mostly funny, sometimes scary: [The Road Movie (2016) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6235786/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) > [@running\_coach](#): > > > [@SciFiSam](#): > > > > It’s not an “old” Britishism, it’s just the term for those crossings in the UK. It’s to separate them from the others sorts of crossings, like zebra crossings, pelican crossings, etc. - > > Albatross! Does it come with wafers? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-people-trying-to-beat-trains-at-crossings/950695.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-people-trying-to-beat-trains-at-crossings/950695.md?page=5)