And this ladies and gentleman, is why we now have a bridge

Level crossing near misses and risk-taking caught on camera - BBC News

 

That type of Barrier has always invited vast more risktakers tbf.

 

There must be hundreds of crossings up and down the country with no barriers, just a small, manually operated gate for pedestrians to use. When I lived at Bircotes there was one at Scrooby which I used now and then. This is a few miles south of Doncaster so the East Coast main line trains are going through at top speed. It’s quite an experience to stand by the gate on either side as a powerful loco hurtles past at 80+ mph, literally yards away from you, but I couldn’t help thinking how dangerous these crossings could be. If anyone stepped onto the tracks at the wrong time there is no way for the train to stop so death would be inevitable. With today’s obsession with H&S I’m amazed that such crossings are still there.

If you zoom in to the first picture there is a small notice saying "Penalty for not closing the gates - £1,000". Imagine if someone ignored that and a high speed train smashed into it! Note also the second picture which was presumably for the benefit of farm traffic slowly crossing the tracks - warning must be given. I have no idea if this was still used by farm traffic (at that time I mean). But, for pedestrians or cyclists, no warning necessary. Open the smaller of the two gates, look both ways and get a move on before the next express train comes