A Victorian coroner has called for urgent safety upgrades to a Geelong level crossing where truckie John “Johnny” Stubbs died after his trailer became stuck on the tracks and was hit by a train in December 2023.
In his recently-released report, Deputy State Coroner Paresa Spanos recommended that as “matter of urgency” the City of Greater Geelong and/or the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) “collaboratively plan for and install additional road signage” on all approaches to the North Shore Road level crossing forewarning drivers of the problematic gradient ahead and allowing them to adjust their hydraulics or seek an alternative route.
According to the report, there were 37 incidents at the Station St, North Shore level crossing between November 2017 and March 2024, with the site ranked the 17th most dangerous of 1642 crossings in Victoria.
The City of Greater Geelong told Big Rigs that the roads intersecting with the level crossing are managed by the DTP which has also been approached for comment.
The department said it is currently reviewing all recommendations handed down in the report and plans to install new signage at the intersection of North Shore Road and Station Road.
“Any loss of life on our roads is a tragedy and our thoughts and condolences remain with the family and friends of John Stubbs,” a DTP spokesperson said.
The coroner’s report said 30-year-old Stubbs, a young father and popular member of the Membrey’s Transport and Crane Hire team, had been transporting a re-entry hub bracing frame at the time on a low-loader trailer from Qube Energy in Lara to Corio.
He adjusted the height of the trailer by adjusting the hydraulics.
According to Leading Senior Constable Robert Nuske, Coronial Investigator, the North Shore Road level crossing has a 7.5 percent gradient (about 200 millimetres) over a nine-metre width of road bitumen.
He concluded his investigation by noting that Stubbs had enough time to get out of the way of the oncoming train but unfortunately chose to re-enter the truck as the train approached, likely making a last-ditch effort to try to remove the stuck truck from the tracks and avert a collision.
“Most vehicles and semi-trailers that cross the intersection would clear this gradient easily. Low loader semi-trailers would need to make the necessary adjustments,” Constable Nuske said in his report.
“If you are unfamiliar with this crossing, then it would be too late to turn around due to the sheer size of you truck and trailer.”
Constable Nuske also made a number of recommendations to improve safety at the site, including placing signage on the side of the road leading up to the crossing to make drivers aware of the gradient ahead so they can make the necessary adjustments before entering the crossing.
“If the truck driver or the pilot vehicle driver were aware of the gradient upon approach and made the necessary adjustments prior to the crossing, this fatality could have been avoided,” the report said.
The coroner said one of the submissions about improvements that could be made to prevent similar incidents appears to have been implemented already – the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator’s Route Planner and Network Map now notifies users that the level crossing is not suitable for vehicles over 20 metres.
“However, this warning is due to the risk of short stacking rather than in reference to the gradient,” the coroner noted.
“Installation of a warning system for train drivers and prohibiting trucks from using the rail crossing during certain times would require significant planning and stakeholder consultation and are unlikely to be implemented in the near future, if at all.”
The coroner, however, agreed that Constable Nuske’s suggestion that additional signage along the road leading up to the level crossing to alert drivers to the gradient ahead appears achievable in the short term and would not require significant redesign of the current infrastructure nor “extensive stakeholder consultation”.
“Adequate warning would allow truck drivers to pull over to adjust their hydraulics or seek an alternative route. This would appear to be a relatively simple strategy to help prevent similar incidents resulting in deaths or significant injury.”