Just found out the Infrastructure bill signed in to law has a provision for funds for red light cameras. Now will these funds also be used for grade crossing cameras? They can be tied to the crossing signal's activation circuit. For unsignaled crossings there even might be a way for cameras to activate with the sound of train horns along with an audio recording at same time?
I suppose it depends on how the law is writtern. Or interpreted.
Ames, IA had cameras at at least one crossing. The first vehicle photographed? An Ames Police car.
That crossing now has 4 quadrant gates, so they may have removed the camera.
Jeff
I am hoping that since RRs are interstate transportation that the federal camera results passed to local jurisdictions with caveat that if a federal magistrate believes enforcement is not stiff enough then magistrate will take over.
IMHO 6 months avareness of enforcement will get most law abiding persons to obey crossing restrictions. Of course cannot fix those stupid or those drunk or otherwise impaired. Impaired caught then maybe get most of then off the roads
Brightline has been installing sensors on their latest build.
blue streak 1IMHO 6 months avareness of enforcement will get most law abiding persons to obey crossing restrictions. Of course cannot fix those stupid or those drunk or otherwise impaired. Impaired caught then maybe get most of then off the roads
You are an optimist. I hope you are correct but I have seen too much empirical evidence that makes me belive otherwise.
in an effort to ease the housing shortage for military personnel when the local Army post expanded, the government built "Section 801" housing in various communities around the area.
This meant a lot of military personnel commuting between the base and their residences.
Curiously, most of the drivers caught speeding during enforcement efforts were... The locals...
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
Getting caught speeding is a guarranteed way to be up before the CO for an Article 15 (Non Judicial Punishment) in my experience. Not something you want on your record as an officer or NCO. Junior enlisted are cut some slack from assumed youth and immaturity, but it had better only happen once
rdamon Brightline has been installing sensors on their latest build.
I'm fairly certain these are radar units used as part of a vehicle detection system for a 4-quad gate installation. See https://www.islandradar.com/products/vehicle-detection for a complete explanation, but basically: they keep track of when vehicles are occupying the crossing, and the exit gates don't descend until the crossing is clear (so that vehicles don't get "trapped" on the crossing by the gates).
They are not and cannot be used for enforcement. (And the typical thing you might imagine enforcement cameras being used for - "driving around the gates" - isn't really an issue with 4-quad gates.)
Dan
hot link: https://www.islandradar.com/products/vehicle-detection
Thanks .. that looks like it.
It seems like a logical next step would be an alert in the cab for the engineer.
rdamon hot link: https://www.islandradar.com/products/vehicle-detection Thanks .. that looks like it. It seems like a logical next step would be an alert in the cab for the engineer.
The system is used to keep the exit gate from lowering if someone got stopped on the crossing when the gates activated. The belief is that people trapped won't or think they can't drive through the lowered gate. Most gates now are hinged or have enough "give" to drive through them if trapped without breaking. Even if they didn't, a driver is better off breaking a gate and living than to stay stopped and get struck by a train.
Unless the approaching train is going real slow, an alert to the engineer would be useless in most cases. Most of the gates I encoutner are timed to start lowering about 20 seconds before the crossing is occupied when running track speed.
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