Union Pacific railroad will build more permanent fence to keep trespassers out
(The following story by Layla Bohm appeared on the News-Sentinel website on February 23, 2010.)
LODI, Calif. If you've made it a habit of driving onto railroad property off Swain Drive and dumping trash, those days are short-lived.
The same goes for residents who park extra vehicles behind their homes between Kettleman and Harney lanes.
After a tour of the area with Lodi City Manager Blair King, who voiced concerns following the death of a teenager, Union Pacific crews will fence off the end of the cul-de-sac.
"We're focused on safety, and that's a real concern for us," said Aaron Hunt, spokesman for the railroad.
The area once was fenced off, but the chain link fence has been torn down more than once, and any "No trespassing" signs have also been removed.
The result: well-marked paths through what city and railroad officials say is private property.
Some people have set up whole gardens on railroad property, which they access through gates from their backyards. One such site includes an old pick-up truck, an adjacent structure with a tarp for a roof and landscaping that includes cactus plants.
Three barking dogs including a Chihuahua named Chloe and a pit bull call the area home. The garden, which a teenage girl was mowing Monday, includes an elliptical machine and weight set to stay in shape.
Further north, Victor Otero has parked two trucks behind the home he rents off South Sacramento Street. Both vehicles run, but he said doesn't have enough room in his garage for them.
Otero said he's never had any complaints about parking his trucks beyond the back gate.
Within the next 30 days, though, the railroad will send notices to home owners, Hunt said. The vehicle access point will be fenced off again, but this time with a more "industrial" strength blockade, he said. Furthermore, if anyone accesses railroad property through a homeowner's gate and is subsequently injured, the homeowner can be held liable, Hunt said.
Though the changes come about following a Jan. 31 death on the tracks in that area, King said the death itself is a different issue of teen suicide. However, city and railroad officials communicate concerns to one another, and King said the trespassing and trash dumping was an obvious problem he noted when looking at the area.
"You've got to let people know that they're not allowed to do that. You can't just turn your back on it," King said.
Officials acknowledge that the fence won't keep people off the tracks, which is almost impossible since tracks have openings at vehicle intersections.
On a sunny day, such as Monday, it's a more pleasant walk home from school along the quiet tracks than on sidewalks, noted Tokay High School student Jason Wilson. He said it's pretty obvious when a train is coming, so he's not worried about safety.
That's probably not welcome news to Union Pacific officials, who just kicked off another campaign aimed at college students, in an effort to keep people from getting hit by trains.
"It happens far too often," Hunt said. "But whenever I'm out in the field talking to kids, they look at me like I'm old and stodgy even though I'm not very old yet."
