NSW: Government should act to make rail fence safe - Debnam
SYDNEY, April 28 AAP - A hole in a railway safety fence has been branded a potentialdeath trap by the NSW Opposition.
Opposition transport spokesman Peter Debnam said a hole in the fence at Gymea, in Sydney'ssouth, is threatening the lives of young children because of its proximity to the railline.
A nine-year-old girl made her way through the fence and onto the rail line last yearand local parents were not happy with State Rail's patch repair to the fence, The SundayTelegraph reported today.
The hole is used as a short cut to the nearby railway station and pub and the governmentneeded to replace the fence with something more solid, Mr Debnam said.
"Simply patching the safety fence is not a solution when State Rail knows that vandalsare going to keep ripping it open," he said.
"They use it as a short cut to the pub and railway station.
"They cut it or take out the wire and roll it back three to four feet, which opensa doorway through the fence and the railway line is right behind it.
"It needs a secure perimeter around the pathway through railway land and that wouldbe obvious to anyone visiting the site."
Andrew Michael said he was horrified to find his daughter, Morgan, wandering alongthe track after climbing through the hole last July.
He told The Sunday Telegraph he realised the girl was on the tracks after hearing thesound of a train horn.
Mr Debnam said many young children were at risk because the fence had not been fixed properly.
"It's a death trap for kids," he said.
"We need to give (Transport Minister Carl) Scully and State Rail a real rocket on safety.
"How many other safety issues across the state have State Rail been ignoring?"
A State Rail spokesman said a new barred metal fence with a curved lip on top wouldbe installed in the area.
"It's been repaired and it will be replaced within the next month," he said.
AAP kp/jmd/de
KEYWORD: FENCE
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