BREBES - Safety is the main thing in all aspects of life, one of which is railway transportation. Level crossings are still a concern for all parties, including the government. The Ministry of Transportation through the Directorate General of Railways always strives to solve problems that often occur at level crossings. In an effort to reduce the number of accidents at level crossings, BTP Bandung together with PT KAI (Persero) Daop 3 Cirebon conducted socialization through FGD (Focus Group Discussion) Security and Safety at Level Crossings in Brebes Regency with the theme "Jadikanlah BERTEMAN sebagai Kebiasaan Berkendara" ("Making Friends as a Driving Habit"), (19/10).

"We all understand that the ability of the central and regional governments to make level crossings is very limited, but the question is, how long do we have to ensure that these level crossings are removed but accidents continue to occur? Do we have to keep waiting? Despite the fact that the victims continue to fall, PM 94 was issued, and we invite local governments to involve the management of level crossings," explained Chandrawan Ahiputranto, Head of the Bandung Class I Railway Engineering Center.

Chandrawan added that the Directorate General of Railways hopes that there will be no more accidents at railway level crossings, and with the existence of PM 94, Chandrawan invites all parties in the regions to get involved in the management of level crossings so that accidents that occur at level crossings can be resolved.

"From our records in the Cirebon Daop 3 area, starting from Cikampek to Prupuk and Brebes there are 216 crossing locations with details, by KAI 56 points, Transportation Agency 17 points, and Community self-help 36 points, while there are 67 unguarded crossings, Underpass 28, Flyover 6 points, and JPO 6 points. If we see that there are 67 unguarded crossings, this is the potential for high accidents," added Chandrawan regarding his concerns about unguarded crossings.

Chandrawan added that as long as the highway and railroad intersect, the level crossing will have a high risk. Based on data owned by BTP Bandung, in Daop 3 Cirebon in 2023, at the end of September, there were 5 vehicle collisions with trains and fatalities.

Vice President of Operations Daop 3 Cirebon, Dicky Eka Priandana reminded us of the importance of prioritizing train travel. "This agenda is a guideline for us as railways, road users to prioritize train travel. The level crossing between the highway and the railroad has been regulated in such a way. We will socialize it to our friends in the regions, we will also support the packaging and the language. Because these things are not well connected in the community. So we PT KAI when making improvements."

In accordance with Law Number 22/2009 concerning Road Traffic and Transportation Article 296 "Every person who drives a motorized vehicle at a crossing between a train and a road that does not stop when the signal has sounded, the railroad doorstop has begun to close, and/or there are other signals as referred to in Article 114 point "a" shall be punished with a maximum imprisonment of 3 (three) months or a maximum fine of Rp750,000.00 (seven hundred and fifty thousand rupiah)."

The Directorate General of Railways also always promotes the slogan of safety with the name BERTEMAN, namely Stop, Look Left-Right, Safe, Go. Let us always prioritize the safety of ourselves and others when we are at a railway level crossing. (IK)