French railway calls for prosecutions of Paris-Roubaix crossing-dodgers (+video)

There was no way that train was travelling at 200mph!

And, the comments on that Daily Express article really do defy belief. I wonder if these people are as ignorant in other aspects of their lives?

Quote:

Seconds later a 200mph TGV hurtled through the crossing.

At 200mph? They were indeed lucky.

I'm not sure it was *quite* as dangerous as some people are saying (I'm going to stick my neck out on the line and say I recon those crossing late were able to see the train and how much time they had)

HOWEVER - the rules really do need to be applied here. Once the pelaton was stopped, those finally few jumping across late really should be held accountable. If you are told to stop, you stop. There should be no 'interpretation' allowed.

The only thing more baffling than the behavior itself is the decision to be inconsistent with the enforcement of the rules.

I feel like that train probably wasn't doing 200 mph...
They can do that but they slow down for level crossings

The UCI is not impressed:

Quote:

Following two extremely worrying incidents that occurred over the past week during the Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco and Paris-Roubaix, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) would like to reiterate that safety should at all times be the number one priority of all those involved in a cycling race.

The UCI is taking both incidents very seriously and has requested that a comprehensive report on each of them be submitted as soon as possible for review and potential action. It is everyone’s duty to make sure that our beautiful sport of cycling is not tarnished by incidents that appear to have been avoidable.

http://www.uci.ch/pressreleases/uci-statement-safety-races/

This crossing should have been marshalled well in advance instead of one poor Gendarme on a motorbike (badly positioned) trying to hold back a peleton.
The race organisers got this wrong. Not excusing the actions of the riders though. Dicks.

I dont know about setting a bad example to kids - there is enough bad behaviour from born again MAMILS out on their stupid sportives as it is and now they will be all be jumping level crossings so they can maintain their STRAVA bragging rights in the office on Monday morning and 'because the pros do it'.

I do not condone those who decided to risk their lives in this way but I do acknowledge that trying to come to a halt at the head of a peloton also carries its own risks.

Surely it was the responsibility of the commissaires to be aware of the train schedule and neutralize the race if there was a risk of arriving there at the same time as the train.

Prosecute every individual rider who passed the barrier after it was down.
This idiotic, selfish, and careless behaviour has just handed out more bullets for drivers to fire when they argue against cyclists getting better safety considerations and better cycleways.

Well done Pro's, wreck it, for those of us who pay for everything you do.

http://road.cc/content/news/126611-fabian-cancellara-sparks-helmet-debat...

Remember kids, safety is important.

The first pack going through at high speed is fine. If they try and stop, they will cause a collision on the tracks. However, once the barriers are down, those who crossed should be punished. They should have been disqualified to be honest.

ps. Full width road barriers would stop this... an ongoing issue with the Race NoOnes Resolved!

In Britain, we usually have two barriers, one for either side of the road...

One solution is on Race Day TGV changes the barrier timing's to come down twice as early! if the race is early it'll still be caught?!
with Road radios teams are responsible to communicate to riders to stop at the upcoming crossing once TGV communicates the barrier closure! Communication is Key!

By the fact that it's a half barrier, I'm sure that isn't a 200mph section of the TGV network. The trains don't run exclusively on high speed track.

Disappointed to not find this on the Daily Fail, the comments section would have hit at least a 9 on the frothing-at-the-mouth scale.

Update: The comments on the express website however are quite superb! I think my favourite is this contribution from a Mr J Arthur Turdly

Quote:

They need to have a national *SLAP A CYCLIST DAY* in the u.k...that may sort the problem out.

In fact after reading their comments thread, I think it would be fair to describe the average Express reader as a slapper.

My guess is that Degenkolb is one of the riders who went through and they don't want to throw him out. I will watch it again to see if it's possible to tell..

crossing level crossings with barriers down does seem to result is people enjoying a premature arrival at their destination. Presumably these people thought they'd spot the train coming. Are you sure you wouldnt make the same mistake?

Hardly gives a good impression of cyclists to;

- drivers who already hate us for running reds
- kids who look up to some of these pro's
- the average person looking to get into cycling

Regardless of whether or not the train could have been stopped, as it was it wasn't… so what the riders did was insane. Tottering across an empty road can be hard enough in road shoes (with your legs in cycle-mode), let alone trying to sprint across an uneven railway track in front of an encroaching train. I would have hoped in fact that the peloton would have recognised the issue (and potential risks) and not allowed anyone or any team to take advantage of the delay to make a break.

So, so stupid. It doesn't bear thinking about what would've happened if any of them came down on the tracks as they tried to get around the barriers – there's no way the train would've been able to stop in time.

The first few through I could forgive, given the pace of the pack behind them.

Once the barriers are well down and you can see the speed of the riders crossing is slowed considerably, it's just a stupid adrenaline decision.

I'd be on the side of SNCF with this. Some form of punishment is required to discourage it in the future.