Dutch cyclist narrowly avoids being hit by train
Gives new meaning to the term 'Dutch courage'
A CYCLIST in The Netherlands had a very lucky escape, coming within a whisker of being struck by a passenger train on a level crossing.
The terrifying moment, caught on CCTV, shows the rider traversing an unguarded pedestrian crossing and only just managed to reach the other side of the track before a double-decker train came by.
The near miss seems partly as a result of a passing freight train, which blocked the cyclist’s view of the oncoming passenger service. The cyclist appears unaware of the approaching vehicle until it is scarily close, as they began to hasten their crossing just seconds before the train came past.
The incident is being publicised to help reduce accidents at unguarded crossings. The Dutch government wants every level crossing in the country to have barriers or warning lights and sirens by 2023, with the secretary of state for infrastructure Stientje van Veldhoven saying unguarded level crossings “are simply out of date”.
Credit: ProRail via Storyful
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