Located at Eastbrook Station, the crossing was used by around 217 people each day, more than 56 per cent of whom are considered vulnerable, including older adults, families with young children, and those with limited mobility.
Lisa Toomey regularly uses the trains to be more independent and get out and about across Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan.
But this closure has put her in a difficult position; either travel the half hour detour to the other platform in her motorised wheelchair or get on the train and travel in the opposite direction to Barry to swap platforms and come back on herself – all to make the journey toward Cardiff.
The closure arose as the crossing was simply deemed as unsafe.
A spokesperson for Network Rail said: “The reason we have closed Brookside Level Crossing is solely to do with safety and preventing a serious accident or fatality.
“Recent site observations and CCTV evidence from multiple incidents have shown that it now presents an unacceptable level of risk to members of the public.
“We take our responsibilities very seriously with relation to risk management and thankfully, we are able to report the vast majority of the local community have respected the fact that the crossing has been temporarily closed to use whilst we assess what options are available to us at this location.
“Despite extensive work over the last three years to reduce those risks and keep the crossing open, the evidence shows it has become one of the highest-risk crossings on the Wales & Borders route.”
Community meetings have taken place in recent weeks, in which Network Rail have given the community the chance to ask questions about the crossing’s closure and learn more about what led to it.
Ms Toomey was unable to attend these meetings but, shortly after, she was informed by multiple peers that a video of herself using the crossing was displayed at the meeting to show that the average wheelchair user cannot complete the crossing in less than eleven seconds.
Even though her face was in the video, many Dinas Powys locals still knew it was her.
She told the Penarth Times: “I feel like they’ve used me as a reason and didn’t talk to me about it.
“It’s made me feel dreadful. I feel like my privacy has been exploited.
“I hate using the word discrimination, but I feel discriminated against.
“I use the train to be more independent and be out and about but what’s the point now?”
She says that she feels as though she is at fault for the closure, after being used as an example.
A spokesperson for Network Rail said: “We are sorry to hear that a member of the community feels upset by the use of footage shown during our recent public engagement events, which were intended to help explain why the crossing had been closed.
“We want to be absolutely clear that Network Rail has never sought to identify, single out or blame any individual for the closure of the crossing.
“The footage used, which showed multiple users from recent months, was anonymised with faces blurred where appropriate, was intended to simply help explain the safety challenges at the crossing and the reasons why it could no longer remain open in its current form.
“It was important to demonstrate the range of real-life situations encountered at the crossing, particularly where users may be unable to clear the railway before a train approaches.
“The decision to close the crossing is based on extensive safety evidence gathered over a period of time and is not the result of the actions of any individual user.
“We recognise that the alternative routes are longer and less convenient for some people. However, our first responsibility is to ensure the safety of everyone who uses or lives near the railway.”
