18 July 2011

Railway Danger Sign Ridiculous

Cambridge Ontario - Last Saturday, my boyfriend and I decided to get some fishing in before dark.
 
We packed our snacks and headed down to our favourite spot behind Cambridge Surplus.
 
The weather was perfect, and we were excited as it had been a few days since we had been able to go.
 
We pulled up and started to unload the car and noticed a sign that had never been there before, "Canadian Pacific Police Service:  Danger. Private property, no trespassing. Violators will be prosecuted."
 
The look in my boyfriend's eyes was heartbreaking.
 
He didn't need to speak as I knew exactly what was going through his head.
 
This is the fishing spot he has been coming to for 23 years.
 
This is the fishing spot his dad has been coming to his entire life.
 
Not to mention, it is the first place he took my little boy to learn how to fish.
 
It is a tradition he never thought would have to end.
 
It is the best fishing spot locally because it is the deepest side of the river, you are not bombarded with tons of geese, and it is for the most part, peaceful and solitary.
 
I can't imagine never fishing there again.
 
It is unfathomable.
 
There was a phone number at the bottom of the sign.
 
I wrote it down and called it once we drove around the other side of the river.
 
The receiver answered, "Please state your emergency."
 
I told her there was not an emergency and where I had found the number.
 
She gave me a different number to call, and that was a dead end.
 
I was put through to an answering machine which was full.
 
I couldn't speak to a human being, nor could I leave a message.
 
I let it go.
 
My boyfriend set up his rod and tried hard to make the most of his evening, but I could tell how much that sign was getting to him.
 
The loudest thought in his head kept tearing him away from everything.
 
Why is there a sign there now?
 
After all these years of fishing there, why now?
 
Nothing has ever happened to us or anyone else we know that fished there.
 
I called the number again the next day and was able to leave a message.
 
When they returned my call, all they did was reinstate what the sign said.
 
They would not offer any more information or answer my questions.
 
I understand the significance of the railway being located there and the potential danger, but come on!
 
If the sign is put there based on the danger of the railway, don't you think it would be smart to have put the sign before the railway?
 
It was located about a foot away from the river.
 
I had to cross both sets of tracks to even be able to read it anyway!
 
Also, if it is so dangerous then why are there so many other railways without signs?
 
People cross railways safely on a daily basis and always have.
 
This is ridiculous.
 
If people are so concerned about the crossing of the railway, maybe a sign reminding people how to cross it safely would be beneficial.
 
To forbid people to fish there altogether is something I refuse to accept without a good reason or until they put signs up in front of every railway in Cambridge and not just in front of the river.
 
Kylie Bryans.
 
Editor's comment:  Very sentimental but as of May 2011 there have been 14 deaths by trespass (Transportation Board of Canada statistic) Canada-wide. You can hardly fault the railway for due diligence.