Centerline Curbing Treatment at Railroad Crossings for Improved Safety

The main objective of this paper is to report on unsafe actions of motor vehicle drivers at railroadhighway grade crossings and drivers’ response to installation of a centerline barrier that prevented them from driving around the gates. A comparison of unsafe driver actions in the preand post-barrier periods provided an idea about the effectiveness of the barrier in reducing unsafe driver actions. In this study, the railroad grade crossing at “M” Street in the city of Fremont, Nebraska, was studied continuously for approximately four months with the help of a night vision camera and a digital video recorder. Motor vehicle driver actions were observed whenever the gates were down, and instances of unsafe actions (e.g., gate rushing, U-turns, etc.) noted. In an effort to reduce gate rushing and other unsafe behaviors, a rubber and plastic barrier along roadway centerline was installed in two phases. The first installation phase limited access to crossing the centerline, starting several feet from the crossing, while the second installation phase closed all access to crossing the centerline at the gates. The actions of motor vehicle drivers were monitored during all three periods, and comparisons were made using appropriate statistical tools. The results provide insights into the effectiveness of such barriers. The conclusion reached from this research is that installation of the barrier was successful in reducing unsafe driver actions at the studied railroad-highway grade crossing.