Loud and clear? Train horn practice at railway level crossings in Australia
Article
Article Title | Loud and clear? Train horn practice at railway level crossings in Australia |
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ERA Journal ID | 13416 |
Article Category | Article |
Authors | Larue, Gregoire S. (Author), Dehkordi, Sepehr G. (Author), Watling, Christopher N. (Author) and Naweed, Anjum (Author) |
Journal Title | Applied Ergonomics: human factors in technology and society |
Journal Citation | 95, pp. 1-10 |
Article Number | 103433 |
Number of Pages | 10 |
Year | 2021 |
Publisher | Elsevier |
Place of Publication | United Kingdom |
ISSN | 0003-6870 |
1872-9126 | |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2021.103433 |
Web Address (URL) | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003687021000806 |
Abstract | The road environment has changed markedly over the years. Train horns are ostensibly used to alert road users and are typically mandatory on approach to railway level crossings. However, they have increasingly been seen as a nuisance. Beyond their negative aspects, a study has yet to comprehensively evaluate train horn effectiveness and understand if they remain beneficial and relevant in the contemporary environment. Hence, this study aimed to provide evidence on the actual use of train horns. Field observations were conducted at 54 railway crossings across four Australian States. The effects of level crossing type, location, and environmental conditions were investigated in relation to train horn loudness as objectively measured at the crossing. Results revealed that train horns were not always used, presenting an issue for passive level crossings. However, when sounded, train horn use was redundant and insufficiently loud at level crossings equipped with bells. Taken together, current train horn practice was found to be highly variable and dependent on crossing type, remoteness, and individual train drivers, thus resulting in inconsistent warnings and raising important implications for standardisation. |
Keywords | Rail; Road; Safety; Noise; Loudness; Crossing; Standards |
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 520402. Decision making |
420604. Injury prevention | |
420699. Public health not elsewhere classified | |
Byline Affiliations | Queensland University of Technology |
Central Queensland University | |
Institution of Origin | University of Southern Queensland |
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/q6zy0/loud-and-clear-train-horn-practice-at-railway-level-crossings-in-australia
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