Officials, Police Urge for More Traffic Enforcement at Rail Crossings
Stricter enforcement of traffic laws and levying heftier fines for drivers who ignore railroad crossing warnings was recommended by a group of local, state and federal representatives Tuesday at Chappaqua’s problematic Roaring Brook Road crossing.
Sarah Feinberg, acting administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), was joined by Rep. Nita Lowey, MTA Police Chief Mike Coan, New Castle Police Chief Charles Ferry and other officials and police officers to explore various actions that can be taken at Roaring Brook Road and many other grade crossings throughout the metropolitan area to enhance safety.
A key focus is ticketing drivers who unlawfully race through crossings when the warning lights and gates are activated, Feinberg said. By more aggressively penalizing drivers for breaking the law, they would be less likely to repeat making risky decisions, she said.
Ferry also suggested that state officials should raise fines and the number of points associated with that offense.
“What is amazing to me is that that horrific accident [in Valhalla], the vision of the loss of life and the pain and the suffering wasn’t imprinted, implanted on the minds of people and that they could still race to get across,” Lowey said.
Feinberg said there are more than 800 grade crossings in the tri-state area belonging to Metro-North, New Jersey Transit and the Long Island Railroad. She said education and enforcement should be stepped up as officials look to find more permanent solutions to improve grade crossing safety.
During the past month 20 tickets have been issued to drivers who tried to sneak under the arm at Roaring Brook Road, Ferry said. He noted those drivers made the attempt to beat the train while marked police cars were present and wondered how many drivers have tried that when no officers are present.
“It’s not just an issue for the person driving the car…it’s dangerous to all the commuters who are on the trains, so I think we need more enforcement,” Ferry said.
New Castle Supervisor Robert Greenstein, who was unable to attend Tuesday’s press conference, has repeatedly called for a bridge to be constructed at the Saw Mill Parkway-Roaring Brook Road interchange over the tracks since the Valhalla accident. Greenstein has stepped up that appeal following two more recent incidents.
On March 7, a driver was trapped after the arms came down, but was able to escape by putting the vehicle into reverse to move back from the tracks and causing the gate to break away. On Monday, an unidentified driver drove through the safety arm after it had lowered in order to get across the tracks before the train arrived.
“We need a bridge,” Greenstein said in an e-mail following Monday’s incident.
The Roaring Brook Road crossing is also less than a half-mile from Horace Greeley High School and the proposed Chappaqua Crossing site.
Coan said the MTA has jurisdiction over all its grade crossings but works closely with local, county and state police on enforcement. With so many crossings, it is impossible to have officers at all of them during peak hours, Coan said. The MTA will send officers to various locations when resources are available, especially when there is a nearby accident that requires drivers to be rerouted near a grade crossing.
It is believed that Ellen Brody, the driver of the SUV involved in the Feb. 3 Valhalla accident, ended up at the Commerce Street crossing after being diverted off of the Taconic Parkway because of a car crash. Feinberg said it is still being investigated and that permanent solutions there will not be proposed until probable cause is known.
Lowey also spoke at the Roaring Brook Road crossing last month with Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney to discuss the need for a public awareness campaign, similar to the “click it or ticket” seatbelt campaign. Metro-North President Joseph Giulietti said the railroad is also working with the state Department of Transportation and the Town of New Castle on making road and sign improvements at the crossing.
Several representatives who attended Tuesday’s press conference also renewed calls for improved technology that would detect obstructions at grade crossings and stop an approaching train remotely.
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