Edit topic

Updated your discussion topic below.

Subject
Enter a subject for your topic. Maximum 150 characters.
Post Body
Enter your post below.
Something else to watch for is if the gate comes down 15 feet from the rail it is closest to. The road alignment, the roughness of the crossings. All traffic control devices. So the crossing where the girl was killed on the bicycle had the WRONG (not adequate) active signals. How does the FRA, state, railroad inspectors miss this minor detail? http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/legsregs/directives/fapg/cfr0646b.htm (3) (I) "Adequate warning devices", under Sec. 646.214(b)(2) or on any project where Federal-aid funds participate in the installation of the devices are to include automatic gates with flashing light signals when one or more of the following conditions exist: (A) Multiple main line railroad tracks. (B) Multiple tracks at or in the vicinity of the crossing which may be occupied by atrain or locomotive so as to obscure the movement of another train approaching the crossing. (C) High Speed train operation combined with limited sight distance at either single or multiple track crossings. (D) A combination of high speeds and moderately high volumes of highway and railroad traffic. (E) Either a high volume of vehicular traffic, high number of train movements, substantial numbers of schoolbuses or trucks carrying hazardous materials, nusually restricted sight distance, continuing accident occurrences, or any ombination of these conditions. (F) A diagnostic team recommends them. (ii) In individual cases where a diagnostic team justifies that gates re not appropriate, FHWA may find that the above requirements are not applicable. Bicyclist hit, killed by train in Versailles Monday, May 26, 2003 By Gary Rotstein, Post-Gazette Staff Writer A female bicyclist crossing railroad tracks in Versailles was struck and killed by a train yesterday afternoon. Samantha Bouchard, 24, of McKeesport, was pronounced dead at the scene after the 3:15 p.m. incident. She was trying to cross tracks on Juniper Street at First Street, where train traffic activates flashing lights but no swinging gate or arm to block vehicles. Bouchard may have been using the Yough bicycle trail, which passes through the community, said Dave Obley, chief of Versailles Volunteer Fire Co. No. 1. He said two trains apparently passed the Juniper Street crossing in opposite directions at the same time. "There was a train heading eastbound on the tracks, and she was waiting for the train to clear," Obley said. "We're assuming that once it cleared, she started across and never heard the westbound train coming." He was among a group of firefighters marching at the same time in the Versailles Memorial Day parade just a few blocks away. They arrived at the crossing within two minutes of the borough's emergency siren activating, and Obley said he and paramedics both attempted to revive Bouchard. CSX Railroad spokesman Gary Sease said trains are permitted to travel up to 40 mph through the area, but he was uncertain how fast the freight train was traveling at the time. The crew stopped and gave interviews to police investigators, but Sease said he had no details of what they said. He said the train, which was headed from Philadelphia to Chicago with two locomotives and 55 cars, was one of about a dozen using the tracks yesterday. Holiday weekend traffic was light, he said, compared with the 25 trains a day normally passing through the area. Obley noted that some area residents had expressed concern about whether the crossing was safe, but he said authorities knew of no serious incidents there in the past 20 years "We have two crossings in town, and that's the safer of the two," the chief said. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gary Rotstein can be reached at grotstein@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1255.
Tags (Optional)
Tags are keywords that get attached to your post. They are used to categorize your submission and make it easier to search for. To add tags to your post type a tag into the box below and click the "Add Tag" button.
Add Tag
E-mail Subscribe
Check the box below if you want to receive e-mail notifications when replies are made to this thread.

Receive notifications