Latest news with #Drayton
Scoop
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Scoop
New Research Identifies Disturbing Behaviour At Level Crossings
Press Release – KiwiRail KiwiRail commissioned the research through WSP to monitor motorist behaviour at railway level crossings. From observations of over 3600 drivers, 47 per cent failed to stop or prepare to stop at crossings with Stop or Give Way signs. Nearly half of New Zealand motorists do not always stop at level crossing Stop signs or prepare to stop at Give Way signs, a new study has found. KiwiRail commissioned the research through WSP to monitor motorist behaviour at railway level crossings. From observations of over 3600 drivers, 47 per cent failed to stop or prepare to stop at crossings with Stop or Give Way signs. Earlier research had found more than half of the deaths in serious level crossing collisions over a ten-year period occurred at crossings with Stop or Give Way signs. The new WSP research aimed to identify low-cost improvements that could be made to signage at crossings with Stop or Give Way signs, particularly those where there was a short distance between the tracks and a State Highway. Under current guidelines, not all level crossings need to have additional 'Look for Trains' signs, but the research found the number of motorists who stopped to be significantly higher (93.4 per cent) when they were in place. Motorists were even less likely to exhibit safe behaviours if there were only Give Way signs. The research recommended Stop signs be used instead of Give Way signs to improve safe driving behaviour. Stopping compliance was almost twice as high for truck and trailer vehicles (66.7 per cent) compared with cars (35.4 per cent). 'While the results of this research are concerning, the number of incidents at level crossings last year was an improvement on previous years,' says TrackSAFE Manager Megan Drayton. There were eight collisions at level crossings last year, compared with 17 the year before. In support of International Level Crossing Awareness Day on 5 June, KiwiRail is sharing the research in the hope that motorists will take the NZ Road Code more seriously. 'Disappointingly, recent analysis of incidents shows that 95 per cent of collisions and 73 per cent per cent of near misses were at crossings that already have flashing lights and bells or barrier arms installed,' Ms Drayton says. 'This emphasises how important an individual's behaviour is when it comes to safety around railway tracks.' Collisions with trains are unforgiving, she says. 'Trains and rail maintenance vehicles always have right of way and travel faster than they appear to. Locomotive engineers (train drivers) can blow the horn and put on the emergency brakes, but there is often little else they can do to stop the train in a hurry.' Ms Drayton says even close calls at level crossings take a huge toll on train drivers and those who narrowly miss collisions or injury. 'The findings of this research are disturbing,' says KiwiRail Acting Chief Operations Officer Paul Ashton. 'KiwiRail urges drivers to take responsibility for the safety of everyone in their vehicles, and to follow the rules to keep themselves, other road users and KiwiRail staff safe.' 'Level crossings are dangerous places. Protection comes from obeying the signs.'
Scoop
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Scoop
New Research Identifies Disturbing Behaviour At Level Crossings
Nearly half of New Zealand motorists do not always stop at level crossing Stop signs or prepare to stop at Give Way signs, a new study has found. KiwiRail commissioned the research through WSP to monitor motorist behaviour at railway level crossings. From observations of over 3600 drivers, 47 per cent failed to stop or prepare to stop at crossings with Stop or Give Way signs. Earlier research had found more than half of the deaths in serious level crossing collisions over a ten-year period occurred at crossings with Stop or Give Way signs. The new WSP research aimed to identify low-cost improvements that could be made to signage at crossings with Stop or Give Way signs, particularly those where there was a short distance between the tracks and a State Highway. Under current guidelines, not all level crossings need to have additional 'Look for Trains' signs, but the research found the number of motorists who stopped to be significantly higher (93.4 per cent) when they were in place. Motorists were even less likely to exhibit safe behaviours if there were only Give Way signs. The research recommended Stop signs be used instead of Give Way signs to improve safe driving behaviour. Stopping compliance was almost twice as high for truck and trailer vehicles (66.7 per cent) compared with cars (35.4 per cent). Advertisement - scroll to continue reading 'While the results of this research are concerning, the number of incidents at level crossings last year was an improvement on previous years,' says TrackSAFE Manager Megan Drayton. There were eight collisions at level crossings last year, compared with 17 the year before. In support of International Level Crossing Awareness Day on 5 June, KiwiRail is sharing the research in the hope that motorists will take the NZ Road Code more seriously. 'Disappointingly, recent analysis of incidents shows that 95 per cent of collisions and 73 per cent per cent of near misses were at crossings that already have flashing lights and bells or barrier arms installed,' Ms Drayton says. 'This emphasises how important an individual's behaviour is when it comes to safety around railway tracks.' Collisions with trains are unforgiving, she says. 'Trains and rail maintenance vehicles always have right of way and travel faster than they appear to. Locomotive engineers (train drivers) can blow the horn and put on the emergency brakes, but there is often little else they can do to stop the train in a hurry.' Ms Drayton says even close calls at level crossings take a huge toll on train drivers and those who narrowly miss collisions or injury. 'The findings of this research are disturbing,' says KiwiRail Acting Chief Operations Officer Paul Ashton. 'KiwiRail urges drivers to take responsibility for the safety of everyone in their vehicles, and to follow the rules to keep themselves, other road users and KiwiRail staff safe.'
Scottish Sun
30-05-2025
- Climate
- Scottish Sun
We're being charged £1MILLION to fix 70ft wall that collapsed on our homes… even though it's NOT our fault
Experts say it was dangerous from day one TALL ORDER We're being charged £1MILLION to fix 70ft wall that collapsed on our homes… even though it's NOT our fault RESIDENTS on a quiet street are facing a shocking £1million repair bill – after a 70ft wall collapsed into their gardens through no fault of their own. The huge retaining wall on Windmill Lane in Nottingham, crumbled without warning in February 2021, sending clouds of dust and tonnes of rubble crashing down behind six terraced homes. Advertisement 9 Lynn and Terry Oakley of Spalding Road live opposite house affected, they helped neighbours when they were evacuated Credit: BPM 9 A massive wall has collapsed between properties on Windmill Lane ans Palding Road in Sneinton Credit: BPM 9 Google Street view of the properties on Spalding Road, Nottingham, showing the wall prior to its collapse Credit: SWNS Now, more than four years on, the damage remains – and homeowners say they're being forced to pay the price for a council-built structure that experts claim was 'not fit for purpose.' 'The wall was originally constructed in 2003, commissioned by Nottingham City Council to replace a crumbling Victorian structure,' Nottinghamshire Live reported. Each household paid around £9,000 for the works at the time, and residents were relieved to see what they believed was a long-term solution. But on the night of February 3, 2021, that sense of security collapsed – literally. Advertisement Finance manager Luke Drayton, 30, was at home when disaster struck. 'We both looked out the window and could see a cloud of dust. You could see torches from other people who were all really scared just trying to see what had happened,' he recalled. The street was evacuated, and residents weren't allowed back in until 8am the next morning. Fortunately, no one was injured – but it could have been much worse. Advertisement 'To this day, if you go to the edge of the garden, that is an unwise and unsafe thing to do,' Mr Drayton told NottinghamshireLive. 'It very easily could have cost someone their life. The council is very fortunate that was not the case.' I'm fuming after nosy neighbours left note on my car asking my 'plans for parking', despite having a four-car driveway Since the collapse, gardens behind numbers 147 to 157 have remained unusable and dangerous. Residents have been quoted between £600,000 and £1million to fix the wall, in a neighbourhood where house prices range between £140,000 and £220,000. Advertisement 'We all lost half of our gardens,' said Mr Drayton. 'The £1million cost is a no-go for everybody. There's been lots of tears and emotional distress.' 9 A 70 foot wall has fallen into the gardens of properties in Nottingham after heavy rainfall Credit: SWNS 9 Residents had no say in the contractor or the project's management, yet they were left footing the bill both then – and now Advertisement He described how one neighbour put her home up for auction for just £25,000, adding: 'She was so done with it, she was ready to take the loss and move on with her life.' Another woman, who has since sold her home at a heavy loss, said she had paid nearly £10,000 for the wall's construction in 2003. She later had to undergo talking therapy to cope with the stress. 'After four years of us all trying to resolve the problem, I decided to sell my property at auction – a financial risk, but one I was prepared to accept,' she said. Advertisement 'The impact on us all has been quite profound.' According to documents, the wall was designed, built and supervised under Section 78 of the Building Act 1984, with Nottingham City Council in charge of the project. It was carried out by a company called Central High Rise Ltd. Residents had no say in the contractor or the project's management, yet they were left footing the bill both then – and now. Advertisement Mr Drayton said: 'This was a council-controlled, council-commissioned project.' But legal time limits have now expired. According to an email from Sedgwick International UK to Mr Drayton, dated August 23, 2023: 'Your claim would, in any event, seem to be Statute barred, due to the expiry of the Limitation period.' Nottingham City Council confirmed to residents it would take no further action, stating in April this year that the matter is considered private and falls to the homeowners. Advertisement 'The Council no longer intervenes in boundary wall, fence, or other structural issues that are private matters between land/property owners,' it said. 9 Five families were evacuated from their homes in the middle of the night after reports of a 'landslide' in Nottingham Credit: SWNS 9 Residents hired two independent engineering firms to assess the site Credit: SWNS Residents hired two independent engineering firms to assess the site. Advertisement Reports from May 2021 and October 2022 concluded the replacement wall was poorly built and unsafe from the start. One report stated: 'The replacement retaining wall was not fit for purpose and was a hazardous and dangerous structure from the day it was completed.' It also said the wall had not been suitably designed by a qualified structural engineer, and blamed both design and construction faults for its failure. Just 48 hours before the collapse, one homeowner reported a visible crack in the soil to the council after a gardener raised the alarm. Advertisement But they say they were told it was a private matter and not the council's concern. After the collapse, they were told they should have reported it. 'But we did,' said one resident. 'I feel like we were failed from the beginning.' According to residents, most insurance companies have refused to cover the repair costs, although around £60,000 was contributed to help clear debris. Advertisement Residents have also turned to Nadia Whittome, MP for Nottingham East, who has raised the matter with the council 'on a number of occasions.' But no breakthrough has been made. 'I have tried, along with my neighbours, so hard for all this time to resolve the problem,' one woman said. 'It's been an emotional rollercoaster. It's not just bricks and rubble – it's our peace of mind.' Advertisement The Sun has approached Nottingham City Council for comment. 9 Just 48 hours before the collapse, one homeowner reported a visible crack in the soil to the council after a gardener raised the alarm Credit: SWNS
BBC News
30-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Three charged with kidnap after man forced into car in Oxfordshire
Three people have been charged after a man was reportedly kidnapped and assaulted, leaving him with two broken Valley Police said three men assaulted the 40-year-old on Castle Street, Steventon around 22:15 BST on 20 May, before forcing him into a grey or silver convertible BMW driven by a said the victim was then forced out of the vehicle in Drayton and assaulted again before the car was driven men and a woman have been charged with kidnap and are due in court on 23 June. John Dee, 57, of Lyford Close, Drayton and Andrew Dee, 41, of no fixed abode, were both charged with one count of grievous bodily harm in addition to the kidnap have been remanded in Bolder, 59, of Stanley Close, Oxford, was charged with one count of kidnap and has been released on conditional victim was taken to hospital with two broken ribs and a hairline fracture to his left jaw. An old break in his arm was also reopened. He has since been have urged the public to come forward with any information and asked people to review CCTV or doorbell camera footage to see if they captured are particularly interested in footage between 22:00 and 23:59. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
Time of India
22-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Goldman Sachs combines three Asia IB businesses, names Drayton new unit head
Goldman Sachs is merging three Asian investment banking businesses it previously managed separately into a single unit to integrate its regional deals advisory and capital market capabilities, according to a memo reviewed by Reuters. Iain Drayton , head of the Wall Street bank 's investment banking business in Asia excluding Japan, will lead the integrated Asia Pacific investment banking unit, said the internal memo issued on Thursday. A bank spokesperson confirmed the memo's content. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like War Thunder - Register now for free and play against over 75 Million real Players War Thunder Play Now Undo "This structure will enable more holistic client engagement, more effective deployment of global and regional expertise, and increased career opportunities for our people," Goldman Sachs said in the memo. In the new role, Drayton will work closely with Yoshihiko Yano and Shogo Matsuzawa, co-heads of investment banking in Japan, and Nick Sims and Zac Fletcher, co-heads of corporate advisory in Australia and New Zealand, the memo said. Live Events A Goldman Sachs veteran, Drayton joined the firm in Tokyo as a managing director in 2006, relocated to Hong Kong in 2010, and was named a partner in 2014. Goldman Sachs ranks at the top of the Asia Pacific equity capital market league table this year, according to Dealogic data.
