Editorial
Chaotic crossings
Multidisciplinary taskforce and solutions required
Only last Friday, a woman was killed at Khilgaon level crossing when her rickshawpuller failed to wait for the gate to open and a train ran her over. Yet, as recent newspaper reports and photo stories have shown, the unbridled chaos and indiscipline at railway crossings across the capital continue unabated, with people and vehicles vying to get ahead of each other by a few seconds -- a few seconds which could cost them their lives.
Friday's incident was hardly the first. A number of people have been killed and injured over the years when they were too impatient to wait for a train to pass, or the tyres of their vehicle or a pedestrian's feet got stuck on the tracks at the wrong time or, for some reason, they simply did not know that a train was approaching. Yet, nothing constructive has been done yet.
Granted, the answer is not easy. The railway system is plagued by a number of problems, including overcrowding, broken tracks and more. But when it is an issue of basic safety, we expect all the concerned authorities -- railway, traffic, engineering, etc. -- to put their heads together and come up with both short- and long-term solutions.
Firstly, the most crucial and dangerous intersections must be identified. Secondly, all crossings should be fitted with large, loud, functioning signals, preferably with a countdown system which will allow people to know exactly in how many seconds the train will be approaching. A longer term solution could be the situating of railway crossings outside the city or, and, where inside it, to go underground. Kolkata with its once deplorable traffic system now under control is an example worth looking at. What is needed is a multidisciplinary task force which will address the issue from all angles and come up with solutions that must then be implemented promptly and effectively.
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