A VIA Rail train nears the Ridout Street crossing in London - Date/Photographer unknown.

6 October 2013

Rail Safety Project on Table
at London City Hall

London Ontario - City administrators are proposing a two-year project to improve safety at 46 rail crossings.
 
The proposal, being pitched Monday to council's civic works committee, comes after 14 accidents involving trains and pedestrians between 2008 and 2012.
 
Of those, 11 resulted in a death, the city says, with the most recent being in July on Colborne Street near York.
 
Five of the 14 collisions occurred at rail crossings.
 
The remainder were "mid-block" or in rail yards.
 
Even one accident is too many, said Coun. Harold Usher, who sits on the civic works committee.
 
"I don't think the crossings are dangerous right now, but there seems to be a little bit of room for some additional precautions," he said Sunday.
 
The report headed to Monday's meeting says additional signage at crossings might help along with a series of barriers that remind pedestrians to look both ways before crossing.
 
The barriers would be staggered, forcing people to slalom around them before reaching the tracks.
 
"There are lots of little minor things we could do, none of which I think had anything to do with previous accidents," Usher said.
 
"But I prefer to work on the side of caution."
 
He also wants to partner with railway companies CP and CN on these safety measures, which could cost the city $470,000 over two years.
 
"Some of these additional measures, such as additional gates at crossings, we need to talk to the railway about," Usher said.
 
"Either they provide additional gates, or we do it together, or we search for some funding."
 
"I don't want to spend $470,000 of the taxpayers' money."
 
Coun. Stephen Orser said some ideas, such as the staggered gates, make sense, but he wonders if much is too much.
 
"I think they look effective, they look cost effective compared to what we have, but how far do you go?"
 
Scott Taylor.

Vancouver Island
British Columbia
Canada