FROM THE OFFICE OF THE PREMIER

Every rail crossing on a Highway in regional Victoria will have flashing early warning signs as part of a comprehensive $33.2 million package to improve safety at level crossings across the State, Premier Steve Bracks announced today.

The package will also include a tough new law and higher penalties to crack down on dangerous driver behaviour at level crossings.

“This Government is committed to continually improving safety at level crossings and we are doing that through our ongoing level crossing upgrade program,” Mr Bracks said.

“This package contains extra safety measures in addition to the annual program that will further enhance safety at our level crossings and it doubles our financial commitment to level crossing safety over the next two years.”

The Level Crossing Safety Package will include:

• 53 Automated advance warning signs - $11.1 million
• Installation of rumble strips at 200 crossings - $11.7 million
• Enforcement boost
• Don’t risk it! awareness campaign - $2 million
• Line of sight improvements - $3 million
• Trial of compliance cameras - $1.8 million

The package also includes $3.6 million for program management.

Public Transport Minister Lynne Kosky said the Government would also ask The Victorian Rail Crossing Safety Steering Committee, which includes experts from the Department of Infrastructure, VicRoads, VicTrack and rail operators, to research new technologies to help improve level crossing safety, particularly GPS devices and radio signalling.

Ms Kosky said the government would ask the committee to look specifically at whether in the future GPS devices in trucks could be programmed to recognise and alert drivers that they are approaching a level crossing. The government will also ask the committee to investigate if a radio transmitter at a level crossing could override a vehicle radio to warn the driver that they are approaching a crossing.

“This sort of technology is still in its infancy but we think it is worth looking closely at so that in the future we may be able to apply it to our level crossing safety program,” Ms Kosky said.

Like other states and territories, Victoria will continue to use the Australian Level Crossing Assessment Model (ALCAM) to evaluate the safety risk of each of the State’s railway crossings, determine the optimum treatment for individual sites and prioritise the works accordingly.

Ms Kosky said ALCAM would inform decisions on where to implement each of the Level Crossing Safety Package initiatives.

Ms Kosky said the tragic accident in Kerang earlier this month was a reminder to everybody of how dangerous level crossings could be.

“Unfortunately, we have witnessed the fatal consequences of collisions between a train and a motor vehicle a number of times in Victoria over the last few years,” Ms Kosky said.

“While infrastructure improvements play a role in bringing level crossings to motorists’ attention, there is still a vital need to educate and remind drivers about level crossing safety.

“To do this we will build on the level crossing awareness campaign Don’t Risk It! and we will get tougher on road laws on and around level crossings. The Bracks Government is working hard to reduce the potential for accidents such as these to occur at level crossings in the future.”

Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Bob Cameron, said the Government would be working with law enforcement agencies to enforce tougher penalties on motorists who don’t comply with road laws at these intersections.

“These initiatives have proven to be successful in improving safety at road intersections and are anticipated to do the same at road-rail intersections,” Mr Cameron said.

The package of works will commence within two months, with the first installation of rumble strips and will take approximately two and half years to complete.