MIDLAND’S new Cale Street level crossing opened last Friday at about 7pm but nearby residents’ worries about increases in noise levels and safety hazards haven’t been put to rest.

Cale Street resident Brian Steels, who lives in front of the crossing, said the noise disturbed his household all night.

“Last Friday night was terrible,” he said.

“The streetlights were bad.

"The flashing red lights come on forever, and we heard the bells in our lounge room while watching TV.

“Metronet may well say that the bells don’t sound for long, but they ring just long enough to wake you up or keep you alert.”

In Residents feel overlooked over Cale Street crossing (Echo News, April 26), it was reported residents along Cale Street had been voicing their apprehensions about the level crossing for months.

The Public Transport Authority (PTA) said they would continue to monitor noise impacts after the level crossing was complete as reported in PTA comments on Cale Street (Echo News, May 3).

Mr Steels documented five instances of the level crossing’s bells penetrating into their building on the first night, with a particular instance at 3.35am followed up by another round of ringing 20 minutes later.

“Once the noise begins it matters not the duration and intensity, but the fact that it has penetrated the person’s environment,” Mr Steels said.

“It came into our bedroom throughout the night.”

Mr Steels said the noise and light continued to disrupt the lives of residents and businesses in the days after the opening.

“(This past Tuesday), as for the past four or five nights we had to hear the noise of the diesel generator powering the light over the pedestrian crossing towards St John of God hospital from Railway Parade,” he said.

“Surely, with power available all around for various lights and gates, we can have an electric light not one that is diesel powered with sound entering our residential area.”

On top of concerns about disruptive noise, traffic safety also became a focal point of the community’s worries.

Commercial Bar and Kitchen owner Kevin Bartholomew, whose business is less than 200m from the new crossing, contacted Main Roads on behalf of nearby residents with questions about the danger of the traffic flow.

“This intersection is expected to handle over 4000 vehicles daily and is also a critical crossing point for freight trains, with around 70 freight trains passing daily, each taking approximately two and a half minutes to clear the crossing,” he said.

Mr Bartholomew pointed to a diagram published by Metronet which illustrated the direction of traffic flow at the new Cale Street and Railway Parade intersection and discussed the risk it posed.

“(A driver), already anxious after waiting in queue for the boom gates to lift, must run the gauntlet across three lanes of traffic, also potentially encountering pedestrians on either side,” he said.

“The intersection is likely to become clogged with vehicles, creating frustration while the boom gates are down for two-and-a-half to three minutes.

“Frustrated drivers are more likely to take risks, increasing the potential for accidents.”

Midland Districts Historical Society reported on their Facebook page that their chairman Matthew Pavlinovich drove the first public vehicle over the level crossing.

Mr Pavlinovich said it was the role of the historical society to ensure moments like this were recorded and preserved for future generations.

“With the closure of the Helena Street rail crossing, it was important that another link connecting the Midland city centre to the WA government railways workshops was created,” he said.

“That has now occurred with Cale Street.

“Whether you are of the opinion that you support or don’t support the new Cale Street rail crossing, it was another moment in Midland’s history that we wanted to ensure was recorded.”

While the post received hundreds of thumbs up reactions, commentors below were vocal about fears of the traffic situation worsening.

“With the traffic that will come over this crossing trying to get onto Victoria Street and the highway with no traffic lights I can see it becoming a new black spot for accidents,” one commentor said.

“It’s not the easiest to navigate now as the visibility is bad trying to see around the cars that are parked along the sides of both roads.

“I guess we will just have to wait (and) see.”