They are a immediate solution to a big problem that isn't going away. Is it perfect? Of course not. I have no doubt they expect these things to get broken, like runway lights in a airport or many things in transportation, it has to be "frangible" or able to break off easily so it doesn't damage a car or be a hazard to both trains or cars. Better to make extra work for track and/or signal than to have to deal with the millions of dollars of paying out to families of fatalities, like Metro-North is doing for the Valhalla wreck.
Most of you are young, have good eyesight and have good driving awareness. However, there are many parts of LI that have a big elderly population who should seriously consider giving up driving but don't, and anyone who drives in the areas of 5 towns or along the Long Beach branch know what I'm talking about. Or the folks who smoke or are in poor health with no night vision, or the vast majority of cell users who can't put the phones down. That's why "stiffer fines and penalties for the distracted and idiots who drive on the tracks" haven't worked so far.
As long as we have so many grade crossings, we're going to have issues like this. Anyone with a better idea, they'll love to hear from you...