Gary's Speeches

Rail and Level Crossing Safety

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"Today I am pleased to rise to make a contribution to this matter of public importance proposed by the member for Polwarth. It states: "

" That this house condemns the state Labor government for its inadequate response of 18 June 2009 to the Road Safety Committee's inquiry into improving level crossing safety. "

"Level crossing safety is a critical issue for all Victorians, and particularly my constituents. Today in the public gallery we have staff and student representatives from Newborough East Primary School. I am sure this issue is extremely important to them. "

"Most of what I have to say this morning will relate to the disgraceful failure of the Brumby government to address major safety issues regarding level crossings in my electorate, despite the recommendations of the Road Safety Committee and despite the Lardners Track level crossing fitting the description of a crossing urgently in need of an upgrade. The Lardners Track crossing clearly fits into all three categories of risk outlined in the government's response to the Road Safety Committee's recommendations. In its response the government indicated quite clearly that the strategic direction for improving safety incorporates three programs, each of which is identified as one of the three categories of risk. These are the government's words: "

" Victoria's strategic direction for improving safety at level crossings incorporates three programs: "

"(a) addressing catastrophic risk; "

"(b) addressing general risk; and "

"(c) ensuring basic standards (e.g. "

" sight distance that allows a motorist to see a train in time to stop safely). "

" While detailed research is limited, the most effective treatments appear to be those that either eliminate the crossing through grade separation, or through closure, or those which provide some physical restrictions such as boom barriers. "

"I repeat part of the last sentence: those which provide some physical restrictions such as boom barriers. "

"The Lardners Track level crossing is on the Gippsland fast rail line. "

"Before the fast train began operating, the Brumby government promised it would upgrade all level crossings used by V/Locity trains. The Lardners Track crossing was ignored. Every day people's lives are being put at grave risk at this crossing. The Minister for Public Transport stated in a news interview last week that 200 rail crossings around Victoria have been upgraded, yet she continues to ignore the Lardners Track level crossing and thereby allows the safety of many people in the Narracan electorate to be seriously compromised every day. The Lardners Track level crossing clearly fits into the catastrophic risk category. I again quote from the report: "

" While loss of life due to collisions between trains and vehicles or pedestrians represents only around 2 per cent of the annual road toll, it is the area of 'catastrophic risk' (a crash in which many people are killed) that presents the highest order concern. "

" A collision between a high-speed passenger train and a school bus -- for example. "

"The government response continues: "

" Elimination is the only way to truly address catastrophic risk, however, grade separation is an extremely costly and long-term solution, which is unsustainable to the community -- "

"according to the government. "

" Other actions which help to reduce catastrophic risk are required. "

" These can include increased use of treatments such as crossing closures, boom barriers, lower speed limits, active advanced warning signs and rumble strips at level crossings where train and vehicle characteristics indicate a higher risk of catastrophic crash. "

"Lardners Track level crossing definitely has the potential for an accident of catastrophic risk, such as school buses coming into conflict with high-speed passenger trains. The V/Locity or fast train uses this section of the Gippsland line. School buses with students from Chairo Christian School, Marist-Sion College and Warragul Regional College all use this crossing. "

"The government response defines general risk as follows: "

" Risks at level crossings exist for all road users including motorists, motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians of all ages and abilities. "

" While the potential for catastrophic risk is the highest concern, typically level crossing crashes have resulted in the death of one or two people, generally the vehicle occupants. The locations for these crashes have generally been actively controlled crossings with high numbers of potential conflicts (high volume of road vehicles or pedestrian volumes and high train volumes). "

"Once again the Lardners Track level crossing has the potential for a fatal accident based on the history of accidents that have occurred at locations of general risk. Potential conflicts at this crossing include the adjacent high-speed road intersection on the Drouin-Warragul Road. "

"This intersection is very busy especially before and after school; it has a speed limit of 100 kilometres an hour and is only 10 metres from the rail crossing. It is very difficult for drivers to concentrate on the road intersection and the level crossing at the same time. It is definitely a recipe for disaster. "

"The third program of strategic direction outlined by the government in its response is ensuring a basic standard. It states: "

" This program is designed to ensure that basic standards are in place to give each road user the opportunity to avoid a collision with a train. Basic standards cover things such as sight distance and road alignment. "

"Once again Lardners Track has the characteristics which place it in this category. It has major problems with sight distance and road alignment. "

"Vehicles travelling north on Lardners Track can find themselves "

on the crossing before they realise it, and once through the crossing they are immediately confronted with the high-speed road intersection. A school bus giving way to traffic at the road intersection will still be partly sitting across the rail line, and the same will apply to a medium-sized truck. Of course larger trucks, especially B-doubles, are placed in extreme risk at this crossing. "

"The government's response to recommendations 15 and 16 is totally ambiguous. It says it supports both recommendations, but in the fine print it only refers to asking the Department of Transport and VicRoads to monitor these issues to ensure they are accurately incorporated into the ALCAM (Australian level crossing assessment model) field survey process and Australian standards updates as required. There is no direction for immediate action, which is urgently required at the Lardners Track crossing and many other level crossings across Victoria. "

"In its response to recommendation 16 the government identifies issues relevant to heavy vehicles. These issues of short stacking and sight distance are exactly typical of some of the critical problems at the Lardners Track crossing. Once again I quote from the report: "

" The safety issues identified by ALCAM concerning routes used by heavy vehicles are similar to those identified generally (i.e. sight distance, short stacking, signing and line-marking deficiencies). Sight distance and short stacking issues are usually more significant for trucks because stopping distances are longer and because of the length of vehicles. "

" Sight distance deficiencies include situations where a driver finds it difficult to see along the train line due to the geometry at the level crossing or obstacles that block the sight lines, either when approaching or when stopped at a rail level crossing. "

" In general the operating characteristics ... acceleration and braking ... of B-doubles are equal or superior to other trucks. The risks are therefore not necessarily greater for B-doubles. However, the additional length of B-doubles will have some impact on their time it takes to clear a crossing ... and the likelihood of a short stacking issue where there is a nearby intersection at which they are required to give way to other traffic. "

"My real concern is that this government response is all smoke and mirrors. It has blatantly avoided recommendations that require funding and immediate action. "

"Despite the public rhetoric from the Minister for Public Transport only 26 of these recommendations have been supported by the government -- that is, less than 50 per cent. The rest have all got a 'Supported in part', a 'Supported in principle' or a 'Not supported' tag. To me that means no action will be taken or, if any action is to occur, the government has passed the buck to someone else. It even suggests that local government should take some of the responsibility, once again walking away from its responsibilities and increasing the financial burden borne by local councils. "

"The Brumby government has had 10 years of record income. Over $300 billion of financial irresponsibility has passed through its fists. Now, when things need to be done, when the safety of Victorians is in jeopardy and when the people of my electorate are crying out for action so lives will not continue to be put at risk, what does this government do? It responds with rhetoric; it pays lip-service to a very serious set of problems. "

"This is the action of a government seriously out of touch, sickeningly arrogant and desperately short of money. The question this government will have to answer one day soon is: where has the money gone? Where has the $300 billion it had at its disposal been wasted? "

"I have raised the issue of the Lardners Track level crossing in this house on three occasions, I have presented a petition with thousands of signatures, and I have written to the minister, who responded saying the funding of the upgrade will not be considered for at least three years. "

"In conclusion, the people of Narracan are entitled to expect that the Minister for Public Transport will accept her responsibilities as a minister of the Crown and take immediate action to protect their safety. "