half-barrier

English

Noun

half-barrier (plural half-barriers)

1. At an automatic half-barrier level crossing, a lifting barrier that does not block the whole road when in the horizontal position, placed on the left side in the UK according to driving on the left, and mostly used on narrower or quieter roads instead of two lifting barriers either side of the railway crossing.
   • 1960 September, “Talking of Trains: New level-crossing signs”, in Trains Illustrated, page 519:

     [...] all crossings with lifting half-barriers will be equipped in this way. [...]. At level crossings where there are to be half-barriers, train-operated through track-circuiting, the barriers will be timed to lower fully about five seconds before the fastest train can reach the crossing.