I don’t see the need for it either, but when it comes to something like a railroad crossing (the only place where I see these used in my country), are rumble strips enough? You can ride a bike over rumble strips with headphones on no problem. These things force you to look ahead, which is far more important than the slowing down part IMO.
railroad crossings are the one place gates are clearly good, yes.
i think the important distinction is that railroad gates are only closed when it’s 100% unsafe to cross, and when they’re open it’s 99% safe to cross, so they never feel needlessly annoying.
I don’t see the need for it either, but when it comes to something like a railroad crossing (the only place where I see these used in my country), are rumble strips enough? You can ride a bike over rumble strips with headphones on no problem. These things force you to look ahead, which is far more important than the slowing down part IMO.
railroad crossings are the one place gates are clearly good, yes.
i think the important distinction is that railroad gates are only closed when it’s 100% unsafe to cross, and when they’re open it’s 99% safe to cross, so they never feel needlessly annoying.