INFRASTRUCTURES * Australia - Level crossing upgrades will save lives: truckies

A boom-gate stops traffic at a level suburban level crossing

Sydney,Australia -ABC News -Mar 30, 2009: -- The Australian trucking industry says $150 million in upgrades to the nation's level crossings is good news, despite the funding only being enough to fix 3 per cent of problem crossings... There are around 5,500 "passive" crossings with just stop signs in Australia, but the funding, which is part of the Federal Government's $42 billion stimulus plan, will only see around 200 upgraded... Road and rail authorities are assessing crossings to develop a list of 200 level crossings in most need of upgrade; New South Wales and South Australia have identified specific crossings in the past week... (ABC News: Giulio Saggin, file photo - Infrastructure boost: the Government's $150 million funding will upgrade 200 high-risk level crossings)