Executive summary
On Friday, 17 May 1996, at about 0845 hours, a truck and semi-trailer travelling east on Kirk Road, Templeton moved over the level crossing and stopped to gain entry to State Highway 1 with the semi-trailer foul of the railway line. The Southerner passenger express collided with the rear of the semi-trailer unit. There were no injuries. The cause was insufficient stacking room between the level crossing and the adjacent parallel State Highway. Safety deficiencies identified were the absence of any controls or advice for legal road vehicles with a length exceeding the stacking room available.
Related Recommendations
Liaise with Transit New Zealand to review the integrated use of Barters Road and Kirk Road level crossings and take such steps as are necessary to encourage long vehicles to use Barters Road level crossing and to prohibit any uncontrolled crossing of Kirk Road level crossing by vehicles exceeding 11 m in length.
Liaise with Transit New Zealand, Tranz Rail Limited and the appropriate local authorities to initiate a review to define all public level crossings where the stacking distance for long road vehicles is insufficient to ensure safe entry to or exit from the crossing, and to ensure that appropriate action is taken, consistent with the frequency of use and the potential consequences of collision. [This safety recommendation also repeated as SR 036/02 in report 02-113, near collision between TranzCoastal and empty petrol tanker.]
Liaise with the Christchurch City Council to review the integrated use of Barters Road and Kirk Road level crossings and take such steps as are necessary to encourage long vehicles to use Barters Road level crossing and to prohibit any uncontrolled crossing of Kirk Road level crossing by vehicles exceeding 11 m in length.