LeMars Iowa is a community of about 8,500 on the “Omaha Line” from the Twin Cities to Council Bluffs. Yesterday the UP ran a train back and forth through town with a police officer aboard who was in contact with nearby squad cars. The result was 15 tickets or warnings and 4 escapes.
Sioux City Journal: 15 cited for railroad crossing violations
Now if the judge will follow through, they might accomplish something. At least, for a while.
It seems like all they do around here is post warning signs about dire consequences if you’re caught. From the UP side of things, I’ve often heard about these “Officer on a Train” programs, and they have to be a good thing, for the education of both the public who gets nailed and the cops who get to ride. But I have to say that locally, at least, most folks do a pretty good job of stopping at our crossings. The local cops would have to get their quotas stopping people who start across before the lights stop, and those who walk across the tracks where there isn’t a crossing.
Railfans can help, too. I find that when we are train watching, the few pedestrians we have aren’t too concerned with just walking across the tracks anywhere and anytime. But…with two people and a notebook, most cars will not go around the gates, but will make a u-turn and go back another way. I think it probably has more to do with the license plate on their car and my pen and paper…[;)]
About 20 years ago I was riding the bike trail in Sioux Falls, SD. The trail runs in a 20 mile circle and crosses the tracks 5-6 times. As I came up to one of the crossings, a D&I rock train was coming at about 10MPH. It was a block away, but I sat down to watch it. At this point the trail was right next to a 35MPH four lane street. It was a sunny Saturday afternoon, so nobody was trying to get to work. Car after car after car just kept blowing the red signals and it continued until the train was actually in the crossing. That produced a symphony of squealing tires and near collisons as four lanes of traffic came to a dead stop.
That was almost as good of a show as the train, but for the wrong reason.
I would be laughing in that situation, especially if somebody hit another vehicle and then people tried telling the officer that the signals weren’t working or something. You’d make a good witness for the truth. [:)]
Kevin
Personally, I find it disgusting that it took Illinois until 2006 to make it a crime to go around crossing gates.
Can you say, Rail Safety Awareness ? We had it here in Waco,Tx. back in Oct…with 3 heritage units pulling it ! Could not get any violators to my amazement !