Using The LCSIA Process To Improve Our Understanding And Better Manage Level Crossing Safety

The New Zealand Government has adopted Visions Zero (crashes). While relatively rare, crashes between trains and motor-vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists are often severe, with a high probability of death. To achieve Vision Zero the current risk of crashes at level crossings needs to lowered and the risk of any changes to level crossing usage carefully controlled. This is challenging given the increase in trains, especially on some metro-lines, and the use of railway corridors for cycle and pedestrian tracks with associated increased railway crossing demand.
This presentation will discuss the Level Crossing Safety Impact Assessment (LCSIA) Process that has been developed by KiwiRail to enable a more detailed understanding on the risk of crashes at existing and modified level crossings. This process utilises the ALCAM risk model and other sources of data, such as incident data and locomotive engineers’ views on risk. It provides a consistent framework for assessing risk and making decisions to address this risk. A paper on the LCSIA process recently won a best paper award at the 2020 Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting and Conference in Washington DC (USA).

The Presenters:

Eddie Cook is KiwiRail’s Senior Level Crossings Engineer. Eddie has 25 years of traffic engineering and transportation experience and has bought this knowledge to the task of creating safer level crossings.

Dr Shane Turner, from Abley, is a safe system specialised with over 30 years’ experience. His experience includes developing crash risk rating tools to better understand the underlying risk of road crashes. Shane regularly attends the TRB Annual meeting in Washington DC and is a member or participant in several of the road safety and vulnerable road user research standing committees. Shane has been working with KiwiRail for the last four years on the development of what is now the LCSIA process. He has been involved in developing the process, preparing the guidelines and in the accreditation training.

Locations (offered via video link between all three locations)

Auckland: Stantec offices, Level 3/111 Carlton Gore Road, Newmarket
Wellington: Stantec Offices, Level 13/80 The Terrace
Christchurch: Stantec Offices, Level 3, 6 Hazeldean Road

Click on the link below to register