Daily avoidance of tragedy: The level crossing ramp in the Bar settlement of Šušanj rarely works

The ramp and signaling at the railway crossing in the Šušanj neighborhood of Bar are more often out of order than they are working, which poses a danger to road users. Residents of Bar who live in that part of the city have been contacting the editorial office about this problem for months, and their concern has grown into frustration over time.

"A tragedy was almost averted today... Today we saved a life... This is simply incredible...", this is how citizens usually begin their addresses to the editorial office.

"Vijesti" has written about this problem on several occasions, and in March of this year, a journalist documented with a video that at around 17 p.m. a car crossed the tracks just in front of the train and that the train driver made a short sound just before the crossing, and not when exiting the tunnel, which is several hundred meters away from the unsafe level crossing.

During April and May, the newspaper's journalists, as well as citizens, recorded numerous videos showing the same or similar situation - cars pulling off the tracks a few seconds before a train arrives, pedestrians passing by, tourists or recent residents of this settlement, who are not in the habit of checking both sides, but instead rely on the traffic lights.

What is different is the driver's behavior. Over the past two months, it has been evident that the train has been making noises after exiting the tunnel, several times up to the crossing, before slowing down so much that it almost stops.

However, the citizens with whom "Vijesti" spoke believe that this is not enough, especially since they have noticed a new problem. The vegetation around the crossing itself and the railway in that part of the city has grown so much that the train cannot even be seen until it reaches the crossing itself.

Some of them, who live two streets along the tracks, said that they noticed that after "Vijesti" published the first video, the train honked several times due to the malfunction of the ramp and light signals, but that this is also a problem that disturbs the peace, especially in the evening hours.

They point out that this situation is unacceptable and that "it is not right that they are expected to just get used to this situation, which cannot possibly be normal, especially for a tourist resort."

They warn that they fear the summer season, when lines of cars can be stationary for long periods of time due to congestion.

The Railway Infrastructure of Montenegro did not respond to the editorial team's inquiry from this week regarding new activities at this crossing, overgrown vegetation, and when they will resolve this problem...

They told the newspaper in March that safety "was never in question" and that the cause of the frequent breakdowns was the deterioration of the crossing and that it was outdated equipment installed 56 years ago.

When asked what the long-term solution is for this problem and when citizens can expect a fully functional level crossing, ŽICG previously said that they are taking on all activities in accordance with their technical and financial capabilities in order to permanently solve the problem, while constantly ensuring that traffic safety is not jeopardized at any time.