crime

Man arrested after sawing off bars at congested rail crossing

22 Comments

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I like this guy.

7 ( +10 / -3 )

In his defense, what they do not mention in the story here is that there had been accident at a nearby station and the trains were all halted for about 30 minutes, but the railway company did not bother to open the bars during that period.

Moderator: The story has been updated to reflect that.

17 ( +17 / -0 )

I can understand this guy's frustration. I have spent over 9 minutes more than several times waiting for the bars to be lifted as trains keep coming one after another in both directions. The bars remain down even after a train has passed and the bars could be lifted for at least 20 seconds to let at least several vehicles through before the next train comes. Again and again. In the meanwhile the line of vehicles stuck at the crossing grows longer and longer.

6 ( +9 / -3 )

Very rare for more than two trains to pass at the same time if or time period.

This was in Chiba, but I do remember a place in Yokohama where road traffic had to contend with crossing the Tokaido, Keihin-Tohoku, and Yokosuka lines.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

So, instead of having access via a tunnel which would aid the flow of traffic, people get inconvenienced everyday at thousands and thousands of crossings all over Japan.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

Delusional much? Lock this one up in the loony bin.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

He has a big saw with him in the car. Is he a tradesman?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

So, instead of having access via a tunnel which would aid the flow of traffic, people get inconvenienced everyday at thousands and thousands of crossings all over Japan.

Tunnels would not be practical for every grade crossing in Japan. In most cases the wait is not abnormally long, certainly not in the case of an accident . . . which is what happened here.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Good point HelloKitty, and well done moderator.

Serrano, opening it for 20 seconds would without doubt lead to an accident, only safe way is to keep closed until trains have cleared.

Having said that it sounds as if the company dropped the ball on this one as they could have safely opened the crossing barrier. So while I understand his frustration, what he did was to endanger other people and as the crossing presumably couldn’t be used safely after his attentions, it would need to be closed and so he would inconvenience many more people. Not to mention criminal damage (or what ever the equivalent Japanese charge is).

3 ( +3 / -0 )

He belongs behind bars.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

The bar is bamboo and a common wood saw will cut it in less than a minute.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I understand the man's frustration. The railways get away with murder. There are some stations where the bars remain down, not due to accidents but trains passing, for 40 minutes of the hour, and people have no options for crossing. There was something blown on the tracks not far from my apartment a couple of weeks back and I had to wait 20 minutes with the bars down and lights clanging away while the company was called and people brought to move it, then check and make sure the train was okay to run. The whole time it was stopped at the station, NOT where the crossing is, so I couldn't understand why they would not lift the bars and let people pass through while the train was stopped, and others were obvious frustrated as well. And after last year's major Osaka typhoon they kept the bars down for more than an hour in some section while a monstrosity inched along the tracks to test the bars and cables and people cleaned up debris. I'm all for safety, but there is no reason why the bars need to stay down in a lot of these cases and people can't cross. The train lines shouldn't be able to hold you hostage.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

I've often thought about nipping out late at night and sawing off those red & white cylindrical traffic 'cones' that they seem to be using everywhere these days to restrict traffic flow. Must be the 'Cool Hand Luke' in me.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

He belongs behind bars.

Well, just make sure those bars aren't made of bamboo. We've all heard what he does to those!

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

@englisc aspyrgend I suspect you work for JR or the police force, very quick to pull out the safety manual book of rules and regulations just as they teach you at work.

 Actually as Serrano pointed out i think they should device such a plan. I live near busy train tracks, and the company actually lifts up barriers even for the shortest of times, even in the shortest of times( allowing even one car to pass), and pedestrians we do rush through, the bell goes again, and barriers go down again. On other parts of the road with several barriers, and several vehicle and pedestrian crossing, the barries go down at different intervals, beginning with the one's closest to the train station. This is happens on the Seibushinjuku line, and i guess they came up with this strategy to counter such inconvieniences on the regular citizen. I am guessing this dude had been inconvinienced several times, and obviously couldn't take it anymore, and took it upon himself to deliver an extreme solution lol. Definitely stupid, since he is gonna pay big bucks for it , and a criminal record.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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