Mayo family call for changes to level crossings following tragedy

THE family of a 12-year-old Ballyhaunis boy who was killed when a car collided with a train at a level crossing have called for all level crossings to be automated.

Twelve-year-old Eoin Doyle from Gurrane, Ballyhaunis was a passenger in a car driven by his father, Declan which collided with a train on a user operated level crossing in the townland of Kiltybo outside Ballyhaunis shortly before 9pm on Thursday, September 3.

Expressions of sympathy were extended to the Doyle family at yesterday's monthly meeting of Mayo County Council.

Local councillor Cllr Alma Gallagher, told the meeting that she had the support of the Doyle family when she called for user operated level crossings to be automated.

The Fine Gael councillor said there is a painful history of tragedies at railway crossings in her district and asked how many more lives have to be lost before changes are made.

“I have the Doyle family blessing today to ask why in this day and age, why we continue to have level crossings where the safety system relies on road users physically opening and closing gates themselves. The Minister of Transport described Eoins's death as an awful tragedy but has indicated that it is too early to determine whether there needs to be a wider review of user operated level crossings. How can it be too early to review a system that has existed for generations. I find it and the Doyle family find it very difficult to understand,” she said.

Extremely dangerous

The Kiltybo level crossing was described as an extremely dangerous level crossing and Cllr Gallagher said that modern sat navs are bringing motorists down roads where these crossings are located.

“More people are travelling on roads that they are completely unfamiliar with. Some of those motorists may never in their lives have encountered a user operated railway crossing and gates are being left open. Yet the basic safety system at some of these crossings have not kept pace with the world around it,” she said.

Cllr Gallagher said she recalled public awareness campaigns 20 years ago calling for people to close gates to prevent cattle getting on the railway line but there was none now about user operated level crossings.

“I am standing in the chamber talking not about livestock, I am talking about lives. I am talking about the life of Eoin Doyle, a 12 year old boy and I am asking what we have done in 20 years.

“I am therefore calling on my colleagues here to call on the Minister for Transport and Irish Rail to undertake a full national survey of user operated level crossings where fatalities have occurred to be treated as an absolute priority.

“That review must look seriously at replacing user operated gates with automatic barriers and warning lights and modern systems. It must consider train speed and frequency and road use and visibility and signage. It must consider the history of fatalities and serious incidents at individual crossings. It must recognise the reality of road travel including satellite navigation directing people who have no local knowledge onto minor roads and railway crossing which they may never have previously encountered,” she said.

The Fine Gael councillors said that health and safety is about prevention and questioned why people's expectations should be any lower when it comes to level crossings. She said she did not want to hear that automatic barriers will cost too much and invited the Minister of Transport to the scene in Kiltybo to experience what they have been talking about.

“We need not wait for another family to experience another unimaginable loss to decide if the investment is justified,” she said.

Her proposal received the support of other members of Mayo County Council who also spoke of the dangers of these level crossings and expressed their condolences to the family of Eoin Doyle.