Hampden Park Incident (Tuesday 17 February)

[21C101]

I've seen reports from a webgroup that there was an incident at the new Hampden Park CCTV crossing in Eastbourne yesterday

Apparently a person in a wheelchair got trapped the wrong side of the barriers coming down and some lorry drivers lifted her over in the nick of time before the train turned up.

Has someone decided that barriers can come down automatically at CCTV crossings without being watched & controlled by the signalman if obstacle detection is fitted?

http://www.eastbourneherald.co.uk/ne...sing-1-6586705

A wheelchair bound woman was rescued by horrified onlookers when she got trapped under barriers at Hampden Park Level Crossing yesterday afternoon (Tuesday).

The barriers came down as the disabled woman was being pushed over the crossing and three tree surgeons quickly pulled her to safety.


The incident happened just days after the signal box was de-manned and demolished with all signalling at the busy crossing now being controlled from Three Bridges.


Witnesses say the disabled woman’s companion began pushing her across the crossing from Mountfield Road towards Brassey Parade when the barriers were up and the lights were not flashing.


When they were almost at the other side the barriers were lowered and the two women were trapped.


Quick thinking tree surgeons, Andrew Catt, his brother Stephen and son Michael were waiting at the crossing and when they saw what was happening, jumped out of their truck and pulled the woman and her companion to safety.....

 

[Yabbadabba]

I've seen reports from a webgroup that there was an incident at the new Hampden Park CCTV crossing in Eastbourne yesterday

Apparently a person in a wheelchair got trapped the wrong side of the barriers coming down and some lorry drivers lifted her over in the nick of time before the train turned up.

Edit - found newspaper report,.

http://www.eastbourneherald.co.uk/n...pped-at-hampden-park-level-crossing-1-6586705

Has someone decided that barriers can come down automatically at CCTV crossings without being watched & controlled by the signalman if obstacle detection is fitted?

It is a conventional MCB-CCTV crossing working in the normal way with a crossing clear button. The story appears to be somewhat hyped up.

 

[Islineclear3_1]

As far as I'm aware there is no obstacle detector at this crossing. It's a conventional MCB-CCTV crossing as Yabbadabba mentions.

But, and with any CCTV crossing, the signaller observes it through the CCTV as the barriers come done and would (normally) stop the sequence if s)he spots an obstruction. And if the barriers are not down, the protecting signal cannot be cleared.

Something doesn't add up - unless the CCTV failed....

 

[GB]

The story is completely hyped. The sequence was started while the two pensioners were crossing very slowly, the signaller saw this and stopped the sequence where the men in green shirts pulled them clear. At no point was "crossing clear" pressed and at no point was there a danger of a train passing the crossing.

 

[21C101]

The story is completely hyped. The sequence was started while the two pensioners were crossing very slowly, the signaller saw this and stopped the sequence where the men in green shirts pulled them clear. At no point was "crossing clear" pressed and at no point was there a danger of a train passing the crossing.

To be fair to the local Newspaper, the Eastbourne Herald, a witness appears to have told them:

“We just didn’t have time to think, we just jumped out and pulled her round the barrier.

“We had to do something. The train was passing by on the other track closest to Mountfield Road but if it had been on the track closest to her, I dread to think what would have happened.”

http://www.eastbourneherald.co.uk/n...pped-at-hampden-park-level-crossing-1-6586705

 

[Islineclear3_1]

Can't help thinking if the reporting is a "dig" to the closure of the SB where the signalman would have been able to observe the crossing directly out of the window (and thus there wouldn't have been an "incident").

Too late to bring back the SB now...

 

[carriageline]

It's a non story, overly hyped up to be something it isn't. At no point was anyone in danger, the train wasn't even close to the crossing.

 

[Yabbadabba]

Can't help thinking if the reporting is a "dig" to the closure of the SB where the signalman would have been able to observe the crossing directly out of the window (and thus there wouldn't have been an "incident").

Too late to bring back the SB now...

I used to work that signalbox many years ago now and there was a nasty blind spot right next to the signalbox that I along with many others had mananeged to trap people in on various occations. So they put up a mirror, then replaced it with a better mirror as the problem didn't go away (after I moved on to better pastures), the box closed with two mirrors in place to try and see that blind spot. So it's nothing new at that crossing, which has a very high mix of trains, road traffic and pedestrians. That's why its a CCTV and not an OD crossing I also think they are making it a story as the crossing is being controlled remotely and everyone (locally) believes the hype that it's the UKs busiest crossing.

 

[carriageline]

The staggered barrier isn't helping things much! When that is unstaggered it will make life easier

 

[Yabbadabba]

The staggered barrier isn't helping things much! When that is unstaggered it will make life easier

It's been like that ever since they installed the barriers when they replaced the gates, your find that the local pond life will just push through there and cross. Best to not put the picture back on after you hit crossing clear. Only just over two weeks left to weeks to go until they straighten out the booms according to the time scale of the contractor I spoke to on commissioning weekend.

 

[ECML180]

Says a fair bit about the quality of the reporting when it praises the three tree fellers (yes, really) at the top but later one a witness praises them but there's only two! Typical local rag stirring things up by the sounds of it.

Quick thinking tree surgeons, Andrew Catt, his brother Stephen and son Michael were waiting at the crossing and when they saw what was happening, jumped out of their truck and pulled the woman and her companion to safety.

Fortunately two men in green sweatshirts jumped out of their truck and raced to their aid, forcing the barriers up a little and leaning onto the track to pull the ladies through.

 

[ushawk]

Its over-hyped massively, the paper has record of doing this. If anything since the control has gone to Three Bridges, there have been longer gaps between the barriers going down and trains crossing as well.

Its a dig at removing the staff/box as well.......despite the fact the same thing could have and might well have happened before.

The paper also seriously needs to stop referring to it as one of the busiest in the UK/Europe. Sure its busy, but there are busier, like Barnes for example.