Problem of trespassing railway property as an accompanying effect of suburbanization

Abstract

Railway trespassing is very common, though risky and illegal behavior in the Czech Republic. Number of victims of train-person crashes is about 200 fatalities every year. We can find several types of risk localities where unauthorised access to the railway tracks occurs, with various motivations, users, layout, risk rate, and intensity of trespassing. Field research revealed, in addition to other facts, that localities with very high intensity of trespassing are often situated at local connections between origins and destinations of everyday trips (housing, factories, schools, offices, services, shops, recreation, and sport facilities). This aspect was further explored in the context of land use development. This paper illustrates how risk trespassing sites are formed in the areas affected by suburbanization, either due to imperfections in master plans, or by improper implementation of the master plan in practice.