Revelstoke British Columbia - Two
cyclists were caught on camera going underneath a train stopped at the intersection in front of the Revelstoke Railway Museum on 17 Aug 2020.
Doug Mayer, a volunteer at the museum, witnessed the incident and said the train started moving again roughly 30 seconds after the cyclists were
clear.
Mayer said he can't believe how stupid some people are, and he sees things like this all the time.
He has also seen people climbing over rail cars to avoid waiting for stopped trains, and driving around control gates when the train is only two hundred metres
away.
It is dangerous, he said.
What annoyed him the most, he said, was that the cyclists appeared to be a man in his 30s with a 14 or 15 year old teenager.
"What kind of example is he setting?"
Crossing and walking on railway tracks is considered trespassing and illegal.
According to CP's Rail Sense website there are hundreds of North Americans killed each year in preventable incidents with trains.
"Chances of survival are slim for trespassers," the website reads.
"Those who do survive often suffer from life-altering injuries, including amputation."
In June 2018, a man suffered complete and partial limb loss after trespassing on CP property in Revelstoke.
In March 2020, a man was taken to hospital by air ambulance after being struck by a train outside of Ashcroft.
Those who are caught trespassing could be subject to a $115 ticket under the Railway Safety Act of Canada.
Criminal charges and a fine of up to $50,000 are also possible.
Earlier this year CN Police announced they would be patrolling communities to ensure people weren't trespassing and in Nelson this summer CP police said they
would be educating and giving tickets to trespassers.
The Review has reached out to CP Rail for comment.
Jocelyn Doll.