The main railway from London to the south coast port of Portsmouth (sic i.e. Brighton) passes through Crawley (population 80, 000) in the County of West Sussex. In Crawley town centre, a new one way system comprising four traffic signal installations was constructed in June 1990. The railway crosses about 15m to the south of the gyratory on the major (two way) approach. The crossing closes seven times in a peak hour with up to 20 minutes of closure, hence effective and efficient interfacing between the signals and the crossing is essential for both road and rail safety and to reduce traffic delay. The master traffic signal controller, which controls the gyratory, is the most complex alled in the United Kingdom. In this paper, the permament interface arrangements between the master signal controller and the railway signalling are described in terms of: (a) the operation of the signalised gyratory, particularly in the following modes of operation: (i) crossing closed, (ii) crossing reopening; (b) the special "hurry call" facilities; (c) operational arrangements when railway signalling staff do not follow agreed procedures; and (d) other special operational and safety features of the signalised gyratory.
Samenvatting