WINDSOR, Ont. Its the end of the line for people who trespass in rail yards or ignore warning lights at train crossings, the Star reports.
CN police will be out in full force this week conducting a safety blitz across the companys rail network, and cracking down on those who run gates at railway crossings or trespass on railway property.
The injuries and fatalities on or near our railway tracks and property have to be reduced, said CN spokesman Frank Binder. Thats the reason were doing these blitzes, to make people aware. Its an aggressive public awareness campaign. Its just to make sure that people understand coming on railway property is extremely dangerous and also illegal. That includes going around gates and lights at crossings.
The blitz is part of Rail Safety Week, which runs to May 2. CN police will talk to motorists and pedestrians at 150 locations in Canada and the U.S.
In 2009, there were 256 grade crossing and railway trespassing accidents across the country, according to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada. Those incidents included 36 serious injuries and 71 deaths. CN said trespassing is the leading cause of rail-related fatalities in Canada.
Binder said people are most often hurt or killed while ignoring the gates and lights at railway crossings, or trespassing on railway property to take short cuts.
He said snowmobilers and ATV riders also use railway property, and get hit by trains because they cant hear them coming up from behind.
CN is calling on the provinces to make safety at railway crossings an integral part of driver education for new drivers as well as truck and school bus operators. The company also wants tougher penalties imposed for trespassing and violations at crossings.
The challenge for us is that these incidents were caused by individuals that are taking risks, just by complacency in some cases, said Binder.
Railway police have the powers of other police officers in Canada, including the powers of arrest. Their main mandates include traffic enforcement and collision investigation to reduce death and injury, criminal investigation, crime prevention and public safety and awareness.
If you see someone trespassing on railway property or disobeying signals at railway crossings, you can call CN police at 1-800-465-9239.
(This item appeared April 28, 2010, in The Windsor Star.)
WINDSOR, Ont. Its the end of the line for people who cross American railroads who ignore warning lights at train crossings, the Star reports.
The injuries and fatalities on or near our railway tracks and property have to be reduced, said CN spokesman Frank Binder.
That includes going around gates and lights at crossings.
The blitz is part of Rail Safety Week, which CN will merely talk about.
... people are killed while a railroad is ignoring the gates and lights at railway crossings to take short cuts. The challenge for us is that these incidents were caused by companies that are taking risks, just by complacency in some cases, ....
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I think LAMCo is done with the neo-nazi CSX rejects -- Pipes FC 8/5/23
