Safer Rail Crossings Planned For River Line In Rockland

Another $700,000 loan will pay a firm to design safer equipment at 16 railroad crossings along the West Shore Line.

The equipment would stop motorists from driving over the tracks when a train is coming.

The safer crossings would allow the county to create "quiet zones" where trains would be prohibited from blowing their whistles through neighborhoods.

The funding was welcome news for Ruku Decolyse of Congers, whose Endicott Road home sits next to the CSX railroad tracks. She hears the train horns wail several times a day.

"If that could be stopped, it would be awesome," she said. "The safety is absolutely necessary because there's a lot of kids on bikes in the summertime" who cross the tracks.

The design project was under way when 21-year-old Christopher Bello was killed last week when a freight train hit his vehicle at the East Erie Street crossing near his Blauvelt home.

C.J. Miller, spokeswoman for County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef, said county officials had to wait until the Federal Railroad Administration approved new regulations a month ago before they could start looking for rail crossing equipment designers.

"We've been working on this for some time," she said. "The wheels just grind slowly."

The total rail crossing upgrade is expected to cost $3 million. The county is counting on the federal government to pay the remaining $2.3 million in construction costs.

http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs ... 20342/1019

The problem with the crossings on the River Line in New Jersey and
Rockland County, New York in particular is that the locals pay little or no
attention to the lights and gates. It will be even worse if they stop the
whistle for the crossings.
I suggest a big time drive by police to put a stop to the abusive disregard
of crossing lights and gates. The drive should run day and night, seven
days a week at as many crossings as possible. If the fines are high
enough, it will pay for the extra police overtime and other costs of this.
It might be a little difficult for some of the police people in this area to do
a major enforcement action along this line as the locals do not like the
railroad one bit. This is nothing new, they did not like the Penn Central,
Conrail or the CSX. These people not only do not like the railroad
company itself but they also dislike the employees, the people on these
freight trains.
The worst grade crossing conditions of anyplace that I ever ran a train.
Noel Weaver

At the base of the rail-crossing gate on Erie Street lay candles, flowers, a red sports jersey with the number 70, messages of love and pictures of a smiling man.

Last week's death of 21-year-old Christopher Bello, who was killed when a CSX freight train hit his car a few blocks from his home, was a stark reminder of how people often need to be saved from themselves.

Orangetown police are still investigating how Bello's 1998 Ford SUV got on the tracks. But if he had not had the option to zig-zag through the gates, which were down to signal a train was coming, a memorial for the 2001 Tappan Zee High School graduate likely would be the last thing on the minds of friends and family.

Instead, residents who live near the crossing said it was not uncommon for motorists to drive over the railroad tracks despite oncoming trains; they have called for stricter enforcement and improved safety.

http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs ... 019/NEWS03

I personally am getting SICK of seeing roadside memorials, particularly when it is still up several years after the accident. Why in hell is it so important for people to mark the spot where someone died?

At the base of the rail-crossing gate on Erie Street lay candles, flowers, a red sports jersey with the number 70, messages of love and pictures of a smiling man.

Should be a dunce cap there, too.

This is typical:

Instead, residents who live near the crossing said it was not uncommon for motorists to drive over the railroad tracks despite oncoming trains; they have called for stricter enforcement and improved safety.

How about educating the damn motorists??

I think the best deterrent to running around gates would be the equivalent to a red-light camera. Go around, your picture is taken and you get a ticket. If the photo shows you to have passengers in your car, automatic suspension of your license because you are too stupid to be driving anyway.

You ever hear of sensitivity classes? I think everyone is entitled to their opinions, but wow..............