Safety Train-ing.

I love trains.

I had a couple of model train sets when I was a kid. Nothing really complicated, but still a lot of fun.

I enjoy watching real trains, even if it means waiting five minutes at a railway crossing watching one crawl past. On a vacation several years ago, I visited the Museum of Transportation while in Ottawa; their collection of notable locomotives is impressive.

I also recognize the need to be safe around trains, and around railway tracks.

Unfortunately, there are too many people who fail to recognize the danger.

Yesterday, in Mississauga, a 17-year-old teen was struck and killed by a GO Train while taking a short-cut across the tracks near the Port Credit GO station.

Having lived and worked in Mississauga, and taken the GO Train, I know the spot where this happened. Teens and adults alike are often seen taking this same short-cut.

Short cuts can kill.

Here in the Sault we are, in a way, fortunate that rail traffic is both infrequent and relatively slow-moving. Still, the risk exists.

I frequently see people crossing the tracks, especially along the Huron Central line, parallel to Trunk Road. I understand why they choose to cross there.

It’s a very long walk from their neighbourhoods to proper crossings. (This is also the reason they choose to cross Trunk Road.) Human nature being what it is, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.

These people seem to forget – or perhaps they just don’t care – that it is illegal to trespass on railway property, including walking along or crossing railway tracks at other than a designated crossing.

On the tracks.

Like other infractions, though, it is only “illegal” if one gets caught.

There had been a problem a few years ago with young people living in Rankin not only crossing the tracks, but climbing on and crossing rail cars that were left on the siding.

An awareness campaign has helped reduced this dangerous practice.

Crossing stopped trains.

Motorists, too, are a problem at railway crossings. Many disregard the posted signs telling motorists not to stop on the tracks. I have watched as people have stopped across the tracks, then look left and right to see if a train might be approaching.

The time to look is before reaching the tracks. If the signals are flashing, take a second look. The law actually requires that motorists bring their vehicles to a stop if the crossing signals are activated.

At crossings that also have gates that are lowered when the signals are activated, it is illegal to drive around them, even if it appears that you have sufficient time.

I thought I had seen it all until one day this past winter, at the new McNabb-Trunk intersection, I watched a driver do something almost unfathomable.

I was behind a vehicle in the right-hand lane approaching Trunk. The driver started onto the westbound ramp but this was not the right direction.

The proper move, at that point, would have been to continue onto Trunk Road, westbound, then change lanes and turn into a parking lot and come back onto Trunk heading eastbound.

Instead, the driver made a left turn onto the railway tracks, and rejoined McNabb at the left-turn lane.

Cab view.

Trains are powerful and heavy. Depending on length, a train can weigh up to 6,000 tons. Even in an emergency condition they can take up to 2 km to come to a stop. They cannot swerve to avoid pedestrians or vehicles.

It is our responsiblility as pedestrians and motorists to use extreme caution near railway tracks, obeying all signs, signals and pavement markings, and not taking unnecessary risks.

Some would say that people who disregard their own safety at rail crossings, or who cross or walk along railway tracks, are only putting themselves at risk. Unfortunately, this is not the case.

Vehicles hit by a train can be thrown into other vehicles or pedestrians.

Passengers in the vehicle can be seriously or fatally injured.

Train crews can suffer from Post Traumatic Stress, and require extensive counseling, especially if the collision involved a fatality.

Trains can be derailed, causing a great deal of destruction, as well as possibly spilling hazardous products.

As I have already mentioned, the number of trains passing through the Sault is very low, and their speed within the City limits is 50 km/h or less. In other areas of the province, and especially in the Windsor-Montreal corridor, trains are frequent and fast-moving. Many crossings have two or more tracks, with trains passing in both directions.

It all comes down to one thing: using good sense.

But… that’s just my opinion.