Mount Barker’s Fidler Lane rail crossing closed to cyclists, pedestrians
A walking trail in the Adelaide Hills has been cut off after a council was “required” to close a rail crossing that connected it.
Adelaide Hills & Murraylands
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A rail crossing popular with cyclists and walkers in the Adelaide Hills has been closed – because another one about 10 minutes’ walk away has just opened.
Mount Barker Council has fenced off the Fidler Lane rail crossing with a 1.8m chainmesh fence to stop walkers and cyclists crossing the historic SteamRanger line.
The closure has happened because the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator – an independent body that oversees rail safety – “strongly” encourages a policy of no new level crossings.
The council and the state government have just finished a new $5m level crossing at Heysen Boulevard – which “required” closing Fidler Lane, council said on Facebook.
Heysen Boulevard had been left incomplete for years where the rail line cuts through, with two dead-end sections of road long frustrating residents.
The vital road was linked earlier this month, but council documents say the new Heysen Boulevard crossing was “predicated” on closing Fidler Lane.
“The construction of Heysen Boulevard over the rail creates an additional rail level crossing,” the documents say.
“This new crossing was predicated on the closure of the existing Fidler Lane crossing to the south of Heysen Boulevard, which was considered a greater safety risk.”
Council documents said the Fidler Lane rail crossing – controlled by stop signs – offers “very poor sight distance” to spot trains and has an overall poor safety rating.
“Road user behaviour is poor with many road users not stopping at the rail crossing, contributed by the low frequency of trains,” the documents said.
Cyclists and walkers must now walk through residential areas to cross at Heysen Boulevard – a walk of about 10 minutes.
Council said it was arguing to reopen a safer Fidler Lane crossing.
SteamRanger has agreed to work with council to investigate a safe pedestrian and cyclist crossing at Fidler Lane, council said, which could be a overpass or underpass or an at-grade
crossing, such as a pedestrian maze more commonly seen a level crossings.
Any design and construction would need extra budgeting.
On Monday, a council spokespeson was unable to provide a time frame for reopening the level crossing.
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