The Bristol Railway Archive

From: railwaypeople.com

http://www.railwaypeople.com/rail-news- ... d-873.html

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Human Scarecrows Give Vandals the Bird

Human scarecrows are popping up by rail lines all over the West Country û to deter children from playing on the railways at half term.

The æscarecrowsÆ are staff who act as a deterrent, issuing warnings about the dangers of railway lines to those seen nearby. They can call in the police if required to do so.

Network Rail has taken this step to deter trespass and vandalism at a number of æhotspotsÆ in Bristol, Bath, Weston-Super-Mare, Plymouth, Gloucester and Cornwall, where there have been repeated problems.

ôPrevious incidents at these particular railway crime hotspots range from throwing stones at trains, leaving objects on the line, to trespassing on the railway, all of which could lead to serious consequences,ö said Andy Hancock, Network RailÆs General Manager for the area.

He added: ôWe implore parents and guardians to make sure their children understand the dangers of playing on the tracks. We donÆt want any child to die as a result of playing on the railway. We have a responsibility to spread the message that the railway is a dangerous place. You wouldnÆt try to use the motorway as a short cut or place to hang out.ö

There are an estimated 27 million trespass incidents on the railways each year, with 640,000 objects found on the tracks and four million objects thrown at trains. Network Rail works with the rail industry to offer safety information, and visits schools and other young peopleÆs organisations and institutions.

Date: October 28th 2005

Four million objects thrown at trains every year? ThatÆs almost 11,000 per day, and if most of those are over a 12-hour period, thatÆs around 900 per hour, or 15 every minute, or 1 every four seconds!

So in the time it has taken me to read the pervious message, work-out the maths, and post this reply, around 22 trains have had objects thrown at them.

WhatÆs wrong with people these days? Madness.

http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/archi ... ecrows.asp

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Scarecrows on track

Weston & Somerset Mercury

newsdesk@thewestonmercury.co.uk

Railway crime is being tackled in a novel way - by employing 'human scarecrows'.

Network Rail has come up with the idea to deter railway trespassers and vandals in the Weston area.

Geoff Frazer, who works as a scarecrow on crossings and junctions at Worle, Milton, Uphill and on the Coronation estate, said: "We have to be qualified to walk on the tracks on our own and so far I have warned a number of young people about the dangers of playing in and around the railway."

The scarecrows patrol the tracks, report any damage to the lines or fences and advise people how to cross safely.

Andy Hancock, Network Rail's general manager for the area, said: "We have positioned the scarecrows at particular railway crime hotspots where previously incidents such as throwing stones at trains, leaving objects on the line and trespassing on the railway have been reported.

"We implore parents to make sure their children understand the dangers of playing on the tracks, we don't want any child to die as a result."