The railroad crossings in Almelo and Borne have been in the spotlight for quite some time now.
New speed cameras are intended to reduce dangerous behavior by road users, but the figures show that this is not having the desired effect everywhere. According to regional news channel RTV Oost, hundreds of fines have been issued in the past year to motorists, cyclists, and other road users who ignore red flashing lights and lowering railroad crossing gates. However, ProRail has not yet seen a clear change in behavior and even describes the situation as worrying.
Last year, Almelo was the first municipality in the Northeast region to deal with this form of enforcement. The railroad crossing on Rietstraat had long been known as a place where risky behavior was regularly exhibited. ProRail therefore decided to install special speed cameras that continuously monitor the situation around the level crossing. These cameras automatically analyze the images and save fragments as soon as a violation appears to have occurred. A special investigating officer then assesses the recorded images and, if a violation is confirmed, a fine is sent to the driver's home.
many fines
Enforcement in Almelo began in mid-January 2025 and quickly resulted in a striking number of fines. Over the course of the year, no fewer than 519 fines were issued for ignoring red flashing lights and lowering railroad crossing gates. The fine can be as high as €300, an amount intended to deter road users and make them aware of the danger. However, the figures show that this approach does not automatically lead to safer behavior. Remarkably, there was even an increase in the number of violations around August and September. ProRail is still investigating why more people flouted the rules during that period.
Borne followed suit later by installing speed cameras at several railroad crossings. There, too, it was a matter of waiting for actual enforcement. In the middle of last year, ProRail started issuing fines on Deldensestraat. Since then, 387 fines have been issued at this location. In contrast to Almelo, the railway operator has seen a slight decrease in the number of violations here, which could indicate that the presence of the cameras and the fines are slowly beginning to have an effect.
enforcement network
At the beginning of November, the level crossing on Azelosestraat was also added to the enforcement network. In less than two months, 99 fines were issued there. According to ProRail, these figures underscore how persistent the problem is and how often road users still try to cross quickly even when the warning signals are already active.
A speed camera has also been installed on Bornerbroeksestraat. Whether this camera is actually being used for enforcement and whether fines have already been issued based on the images remains unclear for the time being. This raises questions among local residents and road users, especially now that active enforcement is taking place at other locations.
The situation in Almelo and Borne shows that technological measures alone are not always sufficient to bring about immediate behavioral change.ProRailtherefore continues to look for additional measures and analyses to reduce the number of dangerous situations at railroad crossings. The goal remains clear: to prevent a moment of inattention or haste from ending in a serious accident.
