wanswheelOfficers will be conducting enforcement at 1300 South 28th Street and 4000 Taylor Street between 12:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., targeting motorist and pedestrian traffic at these railroad tracks…
That Taylor Street crossing, 2 trolley and two heavy rail tracks, is just scary the way pedestrians and some drivers handle getting across. The Amtrak's are moving pretty good through there, except for the couple that stop at Old Town. The signals start to flash, bells start ringing, gates come down and pedestrians continue to cross like nothing is happening. I have noticed the past year or so that drivers are less prone to stop on the tracks when the two signaled intersections go red for Taylor, so that's a little better.
A very sad but true story was one night at a busy city roadway grade crossing the gates were down, and appeared (“appeared”) to be stuck down. A Good Samaritan held the gate up for traffic. Just at the wrong moment a train came speeding by on the other side of parked railcars. Bang! As I recall, fatalities resulted. So, I guess, as a motorist, it is absolutely necessary to SEE that nothing is coming, and not to assume the crossing gate malfunctioned like the foolish Good Samaritan did.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- K.P.’s absolute “theorem” from early, early childhood that he has seen over and over and over again: Those that CAUSE a problem in the first place will act the most violently if questioned or exposed.
Firelock76 The best defensive driving technique? Assume everyone else on the road is out to kill you. Works for me.
The best defensive driving technique? Assume everyone else on the road is out to kill you. Works for me.
Good for motorists, even better for motorcycle and bicycle riders!
jeffhergert I have been told that when the red lights begin flashing and the gates start down, the flashing red lights are treated the same as a stop sign. Just like a crossing with flashing lights but no gates. You are supposed to stop and may proceed if safe to do so.
I have been told that when the red lights begin flashing and the gates start down, the flashing red lights are treated the same as a stop sign. Just like a crossing with flashing lights but no gates. You are supposed to stop and may proceed if safe to do so.
Carl is probably also familiar with the grade crossings in downtown Elmhurst, which have similar signs about not crossing until the gates are raised and and the lights and bells are off. An added feature is an audible alert that warns of an oncoming second train, especially useful when a suburban train is stopped at the station.
As an irritant, Elmhurst has also established a quiet zone on the IC West Line. Traffic on that line is relatively light so it isn't too much of a safety issue but the line does cross the Illinois Prairie Path (ex-CA&E) at grade and passes adjacent to the local high school.
CShaveRR What bugs me, and probably a few others, is the fact that you are not allowed to start out across the crossing as the gates lift, until the lights and bells are off. That, if anything, strikes me as a potential cash cow. I've not seen it enforced, and I will wait until it's legal to go, in spite of the occasional impatient/ignorant person who tries to encourage me with his horn.
Where does it actually say this in descriptions of railroad crossings? I was not aware that the bells,gates, etc. were now defined equally with red traffic-control device signals, or formal stop signs -- the duty is to yield the right of way to the train.
That said, if there are multiple tracks it's good defensive-driving practice to wail to confirm there is no train on another track -- whether or not the gates are going up.
There is a BIG difference between the kind of red-light running that T-bones drivers, especially those proceeding into an intersection from a dead stand, and the practice of 'shortening yellows' to increase statutory violations of red-light laws. The latter has produced a considerable backlash of state legislative action in Tennessee, and incidentally has made it greatly more difficult to secure support for using automated cameras for enforcement of crossing safety. I had not considered the possibility that municipalities and their associated 'service providers' might start enforcing early crossing after a train's passage with the same strict scrutiny as is rightly applied to 'seconds before'.
That being said, since there is no "yellow" warning of a change some amount of discretion needs to be used by law enforcement. And engineers who fill out "Unsafe Motorist" cards. I will fill out the card if the gates are far enough down so that the vehicle has to swerve to avoid the gates.
Jeff
n012944 (9-22):
n012944 K. P. Harrier Unfortunately, running stoplights, on the other hand, attracts a lot of enforcement, NOT for public safety, but for the great, whopping amount of money a corrupt city can make! It is legalized corruption! Because of that, some (“some”) rejoice and leap for joy every time they hear of a cop getting blown away. That kind of police corruption is tantamount to urinating on the American flag! Absolutely disgusting! As someone who has been t-boned by a car running a red light I find you comments disgusting. Cars that choose to run red lights are indeed a hazard to public safety, and the fact that you ignore that is just a little sad.
K. P. Harrier Unfortunately, running stoplights, on the other hand, attracts a lot of enforcement, NOT for public safety, but for the great, whopping amount of money a corrupt city can make! It is legalized corruption! Because of that, some (“some”) rejoice and leap for joy every time they hear of a cop getting blown away. That kind of police corruption is tantamount to urinating on the American flag! Absolutely disgusting!
Unfortunately, running stoplights, on the other hand, attracts a lot of enforcement, NOT for public safety, but for the great, whopping amount of money a corrupt city can make! It is legalized corruption! Because of that, some (“some”) rejoice and leap for joy every time they hear of a cop getting blown away. That kind of police corruption is tantamount to urinating on the American flag! Absolutely disgusting!
As someone who has been t-boned by a car running a red light I find you comments disgusting. Cars that choose to run red lights are indeed a hazard to public safety, and the fact that you ignore that is just a little sad.
Professional and defensive drivers KNOW to “clear” their intersections, and rarely get t-boned. I’ve driven professionally in the past, and because of defensive driving techniques, saved myself being involved in a ton of collisions. Because of those used techniques, many a fool is alive today!
Everybody can judge for themselves the correctness or incorrectness of my post, if is disgusting or not, if it is correctly focused on the thread subject at hand or not, but what is truly disgusting is for corrupt cities to take advantage of the innocent, by instead of fixing a problem that misleads people, they prey on the innocent, allowing a problem to exist specifically for financial gain.
Fortunately, the railroad grade crossing situation is different from vehicular intersections, where who is right is often settled in the courts. There is nothing to debate when a person is caught red handed going around a railroad crossing gate.
Take care, and drive safely,
K.P.
Each of the grade crossings in our town (recently reduced by one, thankfully) is prominently marked with signs citing the civil penalty for crossing when the lights are flashing or the gates are down. It doesn't make a differentiation about the "yellow" period before the gates start dropping, so I'd be doing that at my own risk. Of course, someone coming up quickly in my rear-view mirror might influence my decision to stop short.What bugs me, and probably a few others, is the fact that you are not allowed to start out across the crossing as the gates lift, until the lights and bells are off. That, if anything, strikes me as a potential cash cow. I've not seen it enforced, and I will wait until it's legal to go, in spite of the occasional impatient/ignorant person who tries to encourage me with his horn.
Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
An "expensive model collector"
If I am almost to the crossing and traveling at street speed when the lights start flashing, I go on across--else I might stop on the tracks. As Larry indicated, the first flashing of the lights before the gates start down is much like the yellow light in a traffic signal, and when the gates start down, much like the red traffic light, you had better stop.
Johnny
I assume this is another "Trooper On The Train" effort that UP and BNSF arrange on occasion when things are noted to be getting out of hand.
K. P. HarrierBut, what about that magical moment in time when a driver suddenly is confronted by a crossing mechanism that first activates? Does a person slam on their brakes and get rear ended?
Unless the police are, as you suggest, preying on the innocent, I would suggest that the folks who are getting tickets are those who clearly ignore an established warning - ie, the gates are down and they drive around the gates. The young woman who ducked under the gates to walk across the tracks also fits that bill.
Since there is no "yellow light" at a railroad crossing, the initial lights and bells really serve as the first warning, as does a yellow traffic light. One would be expected to make a reasonable effort to stop (as with a yellow light). Once the gates are down, the "light" is clearly "red."
I agree that many municipalities use red light cameras at "cash cows." They can only do that, however, if scofflaws continue to ignore the red lights. Short of altered timing (although I've heard of that happening), the timing of stoplights is pretty standard.
Even more egregarious is the driver who had time to stop after the light turned red and still runs the light. Applied to a railroad crossing, that's the folks who drive around the gates...
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...
Tom Costello’s clip was balanced, and good for the industry and everyone that drives.
What, though, is the penalty, the fine? Since suchlike police efforts are rather rare, I would imagine the fines are minimal, explaining why such efforts are not common. Unfortunately, running stoplights, on the other hand, attracts a lot of enforcement, NOT for public safety, but for the great, whopping amount of money a corrupt city can make! It is legalized corruption! Because of that, some (“some”) rejoice and leap for joy every time they hear of a cop getting blown away. That kind of police corruption is tantamount to urinating on the American flag! Absolutely disgusting!
In Mr. Costello’s report, it was pretty obvious the error of vehicle drivers and pedestrians. But, what about that magical moment in time when a driver suddenly is confronted by a crossing mechanism that first activates? Does a person slam on their brakes and get rear ended? If police are preying on the innocent, they are guilty of disgracing the American flag. I would hope, though, police efforts are towards those that deliberately go around down crossing gates WITH a train approaching. There is no excuse for that kind of motorist stupidity, and they deserve what they get from law enforcement, whether or not the police involved in the situation are corrupt or righteous!
mudchicken The pedestrians and i-zombies are the big kickers. OLI does was it can, but...
The pedestrians and i-zombies are the big kickers. OLI does was it can, but...
"Won't happen to me, besides, I need to pick up my latte..."
Nice to see some targeted enforcement - too bad they can't do more.
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