Dave Thompson MSP

Highlands and Islands SNP politician Dave Thompson has welcomed news of a promising trial into the use of a new system which could be used to improve public safety on open level crossings in the North of Scotland.

After being elected as a regional MSP for the Highlands and Islands in 2007, Mr Thompson fought a determined campaign for the addition of barriers on the 21 level crossings within the area which are currently not protected by these.

It has now emerged that Network Rail, the quango responsible for maintaining and improving the country's rail infrastructure, is carrying out trials of a new cheaper barrier system which, the organisaton's chief executive Ron MacAulay accepted, could be used on Highland crossings.

One key argument for the addition of barriers to crossings in the north of Scotland is that motorists have claimed that low sunlight renders warning lights less visible at northern latitudes. Mr Thompson, who is the SNP candidate for the Skye. Lochaber and Badenoch constituency at next month's Scottish Parliament election, believes the presence of a physical barrier across the road would be the clearest signal possible to motorists that it was unsafe to cross the rail line.

Speaking after news of Network Rail's trial of the new "stubby" barrier system, Mr Thompson said: "This is very good news and vindicates the campaign I have been running for the past four years. It lets us see that Network Rail has recognised that signalling arrangements at current open crossings are problematic so I am very encouraged to see that the use of this type of barrier is now going to a pilot and hope that one of those pilots can be in the Highlands.

"I look forward to the success of this pilot and hope lessons are learned that allow the use of this type of barrier to be carried forward quickly so we can see rapid improvements for users of the existing open crossings in the Highlands, where we have seen far too many people injured or killed when no solution was in place."

Notes:

After being elected to represent the Highlands and Islands in 2007, Dave Thompson campaigned for the installation of barriers on level crossings and last year concluded a major public consultation to measure public support for his campaign. Almost 14,000 survey forms were distributed to householders near this type of open level crossing and almost 2,500 were returned, with 86 per cent calling for barriers to be added.

In September 2009, 81-year-old Angus MacKay, of Inverness, failed to notice a flashing warning signal as he drove across an ungated level crossing in Halkirk and his Nissan Micra was struck by the Inverness to Wick service, killing Mr MacKay, his wife Margaret, also 81, and his brother Donald, 66.