ON THE RIGHT TRACK - LAKE, OTHERS 'SIGNAL' FOR HELP The Sun Journal By: Olivia Rasul - Staff Writer In the time it takes to watch an average movie, someone's life has been changed at the crossings of a railroad track. In fact, every hour and a half there is a train-on-motor vehicle accident or incident in the United States. Over 50% of the accidents and fatalities are at unprotected crossings, according to published studies. Lake Township officials are taking the first step to making sure all railroad crossings in the township are equipped with lights and gates. Township Trustee Norm Martin hopes the safety improvements will save lives, prevent injuries and reduce traffic-related accidents. Dennis and Vicky Moore of Canal Fulton know too well the importance of installing safety upgrades at railroad crossings to prevent these tragedies On March 25, it will be six years since their son was killed in a train on car collision. "The pain I feel in my heart is as strong as the day he died," said Vicky Moore. The Moores' 16-year-old son, Ryan, died in 1995 when a Conrail train slammed into their car at a crossing that had no warning lights or gates. "My son would be alive today if people who were responsible for taking care of crossings did what they were supposed to do," said Moore. "It didn't become a priority until my son was killed·it was too late for my family. "So many people have to die before a railroad crossing gets on the list for safety improvements. There are days I wished I didn't know so many people who have had to go through the same experience." Two other teenagers died in that accident - Alyson Ley, 16, of Clinton, and Joshua White, 17, of Canal Fulton. Ryan's brother, Jason, and passengers Jennifer Helms and Rebecca White were injured in the accident on Deerfield Avenue on the Stark-Wayne county line. Moore said the accident that killed her son could have been prevented. Moore is pleased that Lake Township officials are working in the right direction of preventing accidents and hope that other municipalities follow the lead. Since the accident, the Moore's launched an effort to increase awareness that warning devices can save lives and warn drivers of oncoming trains. Lake Township officials are hoping The Angels on Track Foundation - founded by the Moores - will soon be giving a helping hand in their efforts. The Moores established The Angels on Track Foundation with the punitive damages money they received from a lawsuit against Conrail. Moore said they received $5.4 million, after attorney fees. The Angels on Track Foundation will award reimbursement grants to local highway authorities for railroad grade crossing safety upgrades representing up to 30% of the Public Share under the State Funded Program, not to exceed $40,000 for each upgrade project. The standard apportionment for an active warning device project is a 90/10 split to the local highway authority and the railroad, respectively. Moore said a requirement for possible grant funding is the establishment of County Railroad Safety Task Forces to identify and locally prioritize all grade crossings for safety. Locally, the Stark County Railroad Task Force ranks the potential hazardous crossings. According to Ken Groves, a member of the Stark County Railroad Safety Task Force and a traffic-engineering technician for the City of Canton, the task force reviews applications for the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO), which oversees railroad safety funding. The Angels on Track Foundation then reviews applications and decides which municipalities to refund their local share of upgrading safety features. "It's the local level choosing which are the most dangerous crossings," said Moore. Groves said the task force realizes some local municipalities do not have the funding to provide their share. On the other hand, Lake Township Trustee Don Myers said at the Feb. 12 board meeting that funding for the township's local share for Wheeling and Lake Erie railroad crossing at Nimishillen Church Road would be made available. Moore said The Angels on Track Foundation recently reimbursed Jackson Township for the upgrades at the railroad crossing on Forty Corners Street. According to Moore, 80 percent of crossings in the United States do not have gates and lights. Moore said she is hoping the hard work pays off to upgrade safety signals at all unmarked crossings. According to Groves, the task force identifies and locally prioritizes all grade crossings for safety. Groves said the railroad crossings are classified using a formula that takes into consideration the following: the amount of train and vehicle traffic, accidents at the crossings, visibility and clear lines of sight at railroad crossings and existing safety devices. Groves said Stark County has the most public railroad crossings - 234 - in any county in Ohio. Groves noted that 93 crossings are unprotected or "passive". "Our job is to get those crossings with gates and lights, Groves said. The Stark County Railroad Task Force ranks the top 20 potential hazardous railroad crossings. Groves said after safety improvements are made, that particular crossing drops down to the last number on the list. "It's a rotating ranking list," he said. RANKING THE RAILS (The top 20 potentially most dangerous railroad crossings in Stark County)
(Source: The Stark County Railroad Safety Task Force. December 2000 survey)
http://www.angelsontrack.org/sj020001.html ©2006 The Angels on Track Foundation. All rights reserved. | Trademark & Copyright Notice | Site Map |