Cattle crossings and road safety

MrThrifty

I'm just wondering what people's view is on cattle road crossings and the associated safety requirements. I know there's legally a whole load of requirements like signs or beacons or someone with a flag down the road to warn motorists but I can understand how this may not really be necessary in many situations (e.g. open road with good visibility or a practically unused road etc.).

The reason I ask is that I come across a situation where a farmer seems to cross his cattle intermittently (as in once every week or two) at peak traffic times on a 200m stretch of road with big (but fast) bends at both ends of the stretch. It's always just himself and a helper guiding the cattle across the road between two fields but the scary thing is that when you come around one of the bends, the crossing is literally 50m ahead. So, it's a case of slamming on the brakes and hitting the hazards and you can relax then. But you can't - because then you're watching other cars in the rear view mirror coming around the same bend and all having to stop in less time than you did. And you're thinking to yourself that if two cars happen to come around together then there's definitely going to be an accident. Or if the traffic backs up to the bend then again there will be crash. All this while, the farmer in question and his helper seem to be oblivious to what's going on and are only watching the cattle.

If the crossing was done consistently like every day or every Monday each week then people would become familiar and therefore more aware of the danger when going around the particular bend. But it seems very random both in terms of what day and the exact time. Even still, if there was a sign put up before the bend or even a vehicle pulled in with the hazards on, that would slow people down instead of us sitting nervously in our car praying for the last animal to cross before someone ends up crashing into our rear.

I've had a right mind to blow the farmer (don't know who he is personally) out of it at the time but then I'd be contributing to the hold-up and therefore possibly a crash. I'm not anti-farmers but I KNOW that there almost certainly will be a crash there some day. That is unless the farmer is being very cute and is in communication with someone living say a mile up the road who warns him when more than x amount of cars have passed and are on their way to the crossing. But I doubt it as I've already seen a car at the end the queue have to swerve and come to a stop on the other side of the road.

So, sorry for the long post, but do farmers out there think I'm being unreasonable? If not, what should I do (report the guy, confront him at the next encounter, leave a note hanging on the crossing gates etc. etc.)?

pakalasa

No, I don't think you are being unreasonable. If it was me in the same situation, I would have someone before the bends with a red flag telling people to slow down.
On the other side of the argument, you should be driving sufficiently slow at all times to stop when the unexpected happens. What if there is a child on the road around the corner?

Muckit

expect the unexpected......

Muckit

Animal traffic

Always slow down and be prepared to stop when approaching or overtaking animals. If a person in charge of animals gives a signal to slow down or stop, you must obey it. Avoid using your horn if animals are in front of you, as it might frighten them.
If you are travelling on a road where animals are common, you will see a warning sign like the one below.




(Taken from the RSA website)

zetorman

I am a regular road user. Only have to walk my cows 45m on the road but it is a major safety hazard for both stock and myself. Luckily i have very clear sight lines both ways and usually have no bother.
What I would really like is if I could erect two sets of traffic lights to stop the traffic from both sides ?? ........ this already happens as the road is blocked by my cows anyway.
Naturally these lights would always be set at GREEN and I could flick them to RED for the 2 mins I need to halt the traffic ... I presume there is a law somewhere that will not allow this ?????
Surely if builders etc can put up lights to stop traffic for their work activities farmers should be allowed do the same. What do ye think ?? What safest for the farmer and his stock will naturally be safer for the motorist as well.

pakalasa

Zetorman,

have a read of this; It's the UK, but something similar.
http://www.ukroads.org/webfiles/TA56-87%20-%20Hazardous%20Cattle%20Crossing.pdf

Hazardous Cattle Crossing: Use of Flashing Amber Lamps

"Control of the operation of the unit should be the responsibility of the owner of the animals being taken onto or across the road,......"

MrThrifty

zetorman wrote: »

I am a regular road user. Only have to walk my cows 45m on the road but it is a major safety hazard for both stock and myself. Luckily i have very clear sight lines both ways and usually have no bother.
What I would really like is if I could erect two sets of traffic lights to stop the traffic from both sides ?? ........ this already happens as the road is blocked by my cows anyway.
Naturally these lights would always be set at GREEN and I could flick them to RED for the 2 mins I need to halt the traffic ... I presume there is a law somewhere that will not allow this ?????
Surely if builders etc can put up lights to stop traffic for their work activities farmers should be allowed do the same. What do ye think ?? What safest for the farmer and his stock will naturally be safer for the motorist as well.

Nice idea, but simplest and cheapest setup would be to use 2 amber strobes like the one's used on plant equipment and just power them from a car battery when doing crossings. Think they'd definitely be legal and you could even mount a warning sign with each one that explains that cattle are crossing when lights are flashing. Have seen this setup used for concealed entrances. Would be dirt cheap to implement too, with the wires/cable running along the hedge inside your field if you know what I mean.

dar31

zetorman wrote: »

I am a regular road user. Only have to walk my cows 45m on the road but it is a major safety hazard for both stock and myself. Luckily i have very clear sight lines both ways and usually have no bother.
What I would really like is if I could erect two sets of traffic lights to stop the traffic from both sides ?? ........ this already happens as the road is blocked by my cows anyway.
Naturally these lights would always be set at GREEN and I could flick them to RED for the 2 mins I need to halt the traffic ... I presume there is a law somewhere that will not allow this ?????
Surely if builders etc can put up lights to stop traffic for their work activities farmers should be allowed do the same. What do ye think ?? What safest for the farmer and his stock will naturally be safer for the motorist as well.

a few farms i worked on in new zealand had a set up like this with amber warning lights when cows were crossing, but they were on quite back roads though

whelan1

we used to go on the road but it was a total pain, cars would drive right through the cows and send them everywhere, then if the sun was strong they couldnt see them... the last straw was when a fella drove through them sending them everywhere,he did this every morning i stopped him and gave out stink, he rang my father and made me apologise for delaying him for work:eek:

yourpics

Yeah I think a couple of signs and flashing beacons would be very effective.

A bit off topic but i passed a guy walking with a dog recently, he had no effective control over the dog (required by law). The dog ran in front of me, I naturally braked and the farmer proceeded to laugh at me. I blew the horn at him (to express my anger at the lack of control over the dog) and he started to physically run after my car with a shovel. :mad::mad:

bbam

whelan1 wrote: »

. he rang my father and made me apologise for delaying him for work:eek:

FFS, who did he think he was

yourpics

whelan1 wrote: »

we used to go on the road but it was a total pain, cars would drive right through the cows and send them everywhere, then if the sun was strong they couldnt see them... the last straw was when a fella drove through them sending them everywhere,he did this every morning i stopped him and gave out stink, he rang my father and made me apologise for delaying him for work:eek:

If you are in charge of animals you have the legal power to STOP the traffic just like a garda

just do it

http://www.hsa.ie/eng/Publications_and_Forms/Publications/Agriculture_and_Forestry/Safe_Handling_of_Cattle_on_Farms_2011.pdf
See page 26. I'd imagine this is what insurance companies would look for if there was a dispute.

whelan1

bbam wrote: »

FFS, who did he think he was

a total asshole and to top it all off when my son started school who became his best friend only this guys son:o

whelan1

yourpics wrote: »

If you are in charge of animals you have the legal power to STOP the traffic just like a garda

but it takes paddy 7 minutes to get to work and i was delaying him, never mind that there are other roads to go and that everyione else could wait the 2 minutes it took me to get them across the road...

bogman_bass

you probably could pick up a pair of those portible trafic lights relitivly cheap from a plant hire. They have more than they can hire out now so you could plrobably buy a pair