Level Crossing Safety Impact Assessments for Vehicle and Pedestrian Crossings

Abstract

Although the number of deaths and injuries at level crossings in New Zealand is relatively low compared with the national road toll and injury burden, the high severity of crashes involving trains makes it a key “safe system” focus. It is also alarming that the proportion of crashes involving pedestrians and cyclists at level crossings has been increasing over recent years. This in part is owing to the construction of several cycleways and shared paths that travel alongside railway lines. In the past, KiwiRail has relied primarily on the Australian Level Crossing Assessment Model (ALCAM), a crash estimation model, to assess the increased risk of crashes at crossings resulting from a change in use. Although ALCAM is one of the better developed level crossing models internationally, it does have its limitations when used in isolation. ALCAM documentation specifies that other information such as incident data and the opinions of locomotive engineers should be considered in assessing risk. In practice, these factors and ALCAM risk ratings are rarely afforded equal importance. ALCAM does not pick up in sufficient detail the safety impacts created by the surrounding transport network. To better inform decision making, KiwiRail has developed a wider assessment process that includes these factors: the Level Crossing Safety Impact Assessment (LCSIA). This paper outlines the LCSIA process, provides an example of how it has been used, and also discusses the important learnings that have occurred since it was first introduced in 2016.