ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[jamincan]

I can't help but wonder if there is some better barrier for pedestrians than the standard crossing arm. The standard crossing arm/bells make sense for warning drivers, but don't really seem well-suited to pedestrians and cyclists.

• the loud warning bells are tuned to warn drivers in cars and are likely louder than needed for pedestrians and cyclists. This isn't a safety issue, but it does provide a disincentive for pedestrian crossings as they are disruptive to neighbours
  
• there is some possibility of injury from the barrier itself, though people would have to disregard the warning bells above. I think the risk is minimal, but I can think of several other designs that would present less of a hazard.
  
• the barrier is trivial to bypass. It is a barrier designed for cars, not people. A barrier should not be trivial to get around. That said, you don't want to confine someone on the guideway, so there has to be some way for them to leave it, but once again, I can think of several options for dealing with this.
  

I wonder if the nature of regulations in the railroad industry might stifle safety innovations. If regulations precisely outline what a barrier must be, there is no way for a company to innovate outside that box. Do people more knowledge about railways have any examples of how safety measures have evolved and improved over the last 50 years or so?