Wayne
RR Crossings Get Gates
The
Beacon Journal
August 8, 1999
by: Sallie Cook
Vicky
Moore has a passion for railroad crossing safety.
She
studies how to make crossings safer. She has learned how
to navigate the complex maze of state and federal agencies
that oversee dangerous crossings and demands improvements.
She knows that flashing lights and gates will prevent accidents,
but that too few crossings have them.
This
year, three Wayne County crossings will get gates and lights
thanks to Moore and her husband, Dennis, of Canal Fulton,
who will give $61,569 to the Wayne commissioners to use as
the county's share for the upgrades. Conrail and the Public
Utilities Commission will pick up the remaining $157,831.
The
Moore's money is the first distribution from Angels on Track
Foundation, a nonprofit fund they established with a $5.4
million court settlement from Conrail. Their son, Ryan, 16,
was killed in a Conrail-car crash in March, 1995 on Deerfield
Avenue.
"We're
not going to spend the money for ourselves," said Vicky
Moore. "This money represents our son's death and it
has to go for what caused our son's death."
The
crossings slated for flashing lights and gates are on Geyers
Chapel Road in Wayne Township and Eby and Back Orrville roads
in Green Township, all former Conrail tracks purchased by
Norfolk and Southern Corp. and CSX Corp. last month.
Wayne
County Commissioner Cheryl Noah said increased traffic in
the industrial park area along Geyers Chapel and Long roads
prompted officials to choose the crossing southeast of Wooster
for improvements. A fatal accident at the Back Orrville crossing
occurred in 1994.
Wayne
County Highway Department traffic specialists Nate DeLong,
who serves on the railroad commission, said the three crossings
presented problems that could result in fatalities.
For
those reasons, the Moores have campaigned throughout the
state for counties to establish railroad commissions to prioritize
crossings that need safety upgrades.
Wayne
and Stark counties have commissions; Medina, Summit and Portage
do not. Delaware, Carroll, Morrow and Marion counties are
working to improve rail safety. Delaware County has applied
for funds from the foundation for this year, Vicky Moore
said.
Wayne
County's commission was established in 1997 after several
fatalities and accidents occurred on county highways. The
commission identified dangerous crossings ranking them according
to the need for upgrades, and took photos of all of the county's
103 crossings.
That
information was accepted by the Public Utilities Commission
as accurate and up-to-date, said Wayne County projects director
Ralph Linsalata. The PUCO ranks crossings according to their
need for upgrades.
Moore
said counties needed to establish commissions to update the
PUCO rankings, which use information that is five to seven
years old. The local commissions can share information with
the state agency to help determine the rankings, she said.
But
Dick Kimmins, spokesman for the PUCO, said the state had
done a better job of prioritizing safety upgrades in the
last 18 months. Kimmins said the commission had 200 crossings
on its list for upgrades, up for 50 or 60.
Every
ninety minutes, there is a train accident in the United States,
said Moore. She blames the railroads for not taking more
interest in rail safety. In Ohio, many people believe that
the railroads buy flashing lights and gates. "The railroads
only have a voluntary contribution of 10 percent," she
said.
The
signals cost about $150,000 per crossing, said Moore. Taxpayers
foot most of the bill. Only half of the state's crossings
have warning signs, she said.
But
Moore also blames local officials for not being more vigilant.
It is expensive to install flashing lights and gates and
most counties complain they don't have the money for upgrades.
Commissioner
Noah said the local commission was studying how to remove
vegetation from the sides of crossings to improve sight distances.
The county is eligible to receive $3,000 per crossing from
the state for the work, she said.
The
commission also continues to study which crossings should
be eligible for lights and gates.
"We must do it crossing by crossing," Noah said.
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