Unprotected railway crossing a disaster waiting to happen - Residents

Residents of Manuwangama in Chilaw staged a protest demonstration yesterday (24) calling on authorities to either set up a railway gate or repair the broken signal system at the unprotected railway crossing. 

Residents warned that the railway crossing was located on an extremely dangerous location given that the railway line has two separate bends near the railway crossing. 

They noted that not just drivers of motor vehicles, but even motorbike riders find it difficult to tell whether a train is approaching untill they come directly onto the railway crossing. 

They warned that a large number of trucks and lorries traverse the crossing on a daily basis given that most residents in the area are vegetable farmers who send their produce to local markets. Meanwhile, busloads of school children too are transported along the road on a daily basis and there have been several near misses between trains and school buses at the crossing, they claimed. 

Text and Pix by Jude Samantha