You approach a railway level crossing that has no gates, barriers, or traffic light signals. Beside the track is a red X-shaped sign mounted on a white background. What does this specific sign tell you, and what must you do?
- It is a St Andrew's cross, marking an open level crossing with no barrier; you must look both ways along the track, listen, and give way to any approaching train before crossing
- It indicates the crossing is permanently out of use and safe to drive over without checking for trains
- It warns that a barrier will lower automatically without further notice, so you should cross quickly before it activates
- It marks a pedestrian-only footpath crossing, closed to all vehicles
Why A? And why not the others?
Correct answer: A. It is a St Andrew's cross, marking an open level crossing with no barrier; you must look both ways along the track, listen, and give way to any approaching train before crossing
The red X-shaped sign is a St Andrew's cross, used specifically to mark the point of an open level crossing that has no gates, barriers, or light signals protecting it, which means the driver alone is responsible for checking it is safe: looking both ways along the track, listening for an approaching train, and giving way to any train before driving over. Reading the sign as meaning the crossing is disused is wrong and dangerous, since the whole reason for the sign is that the crossing remains active and unprotected, requiring the driver's own vigilance rather than assuming safety. Interpreting it as a warning of an automatic barrier is also wrong, because a St Andrew's cross specifically marks crossings that have no barrier at all, so there is nothing that will lower to warn of an approaching train. Treating it as a pedestrian-only footpath marker is incorrect too, since the St Andrew's cross applies to the whole road crossing used by vehicles, and a dedicated footpath crossing would carry its own separate signage rather than this vehicle-facing sign.
Source: The Highway Code: Railway level crossings — open crossings without gates or barriers, St Andrew's cross (GOV.UK)