Notorious level crossing to be made safer

Ward member for Mortimer Geoff Mayes (Lib Dem) (pictured) as collected more than 340 names on a petition calling for a full barrier and CCTV to be installed at the crossing.
In 2004, seven people died at the site after a train hit a car parked across the tracks, then in May Woodley man David Montague was killed when his scooter was hit by a train while the half width barriers were down.
Mr Mayes presented his petition to West Berkshire Council at a meeting last Thursday night, prompting Network Rail to agree to improve the crossing.
“It is also possible for vehicles to drive onto the tracks and park there before the barriers descend as there are no CCTV cameras linked to the signalling centre to alert signallers of an obstruction on the track.
“If nothing is done to make this crossing safer there is a possibility that more people will be killed or injured; we must get Network Rail to commit to improving this precarious situation,” Mr Mayes told the meeting.
The petition was unanimously supported by the council, with fellow Mortimer ward member, Mollie Lock, adding: “The costs to install a full barrier and CCTV is nothing compared to the cost of life.”
Chief executive of West Berkshire Council Nick Carter is due to write to chief executive of Network Rail David Higgins to ask that the aforementioned improvements to the crossing are made.
Meanwhile spokesman for Network Rail, Chris Denham said: "As things stand we have all the options on the table including replacing the crossing with full barriers or even building a bridge.
"There are complications with every option, including land acquisition if we were to build a bridge, so we are investigating further.
"We are happy to work with West Berkshire Council to reach a conclusion."