Level crossing awareness and enforcement campaign
Keywords: Enforcement
ARSRPE
Submission Date: 2012
Abstract
During February and March 2011, police and transport agencies organised and conducted the first Level Crossing Awareness and Enforcement Campaign which targeted selected level crossings in southern New South Wales. The mission of this first-of-its-kind campaign was to raise public awareness of level crossing safety through a localised education and media strategy supported by the tasking and deployment of additional Police resources to enforce road rules. Vehicle observations conducted pre and post-campaign suggest that the efforts were successful in reducing the queuing of vehicles over railway tracks and penalty notice data provided considerable information which can be used to better target road safety and level crossing education strategies. The Level Crossing Strategy Council subsequently approved the continuation and expansion of the Level Crossing Awareness and Enforcement Campaign which for a modest cost delivered three campaigns throughout country New South Wales during 2011-12. Consideration is being given to the continuation of the campaign in 2012-13 with a view to targeting other road user behaviours such as disobeying lights/signs. The campaign has forged new partnerships and presented further opportunities to target high risk drivers and prevent level crossing crashes.