Train strikes "lost" car in Bedford Hills - 1/2/08

Noel,

So does Metro-North Blue Background White Lettering.. I believe they reference the streets name not by a number in ny, but i believe in CT like on the danbury branch they are numbers.. Im not sure???

One potential solution would be something analogous to fire alarm pull stations, that when activated, drop the cab signal to restricting (most restrictive aspect). Of course, this opens the door to pranks...

WOW!! I gotta tell you I thought the same exact thing!! I kid you not!!

Are you my long lost brother??

I was going to suggest the same. some kind of fire Drill System that could shut off a signal to make red thats nearby or make the Over speed tone go off on a train that might be nearby go off which would make the train slow down in the area to see the issue in order to stop in time. If false alarm the train would just be slow until it passed the incident where the fire alarm went off

-OZ

RedSoxSuck wrote:One potential solution would be something analogous to fire alarm pull stations, that when activated, drop the cab signal to restricting (most restrictive aspect). Of course, this opens the door to pranks...

The only solution to this problem is respect and enforcement. Respect, we
should all respect fully any railroad crossing no matter whether it is a busy
commuter line or a twice a week branch line with slow speeds. Make sure
the crossing is clear before you cross the tracks, make sure that you can
safely cross the tracks, that your vehicle will clear and if the gates and
lights are activated, stay clear not only until the train clears the crossing
but until the gates are fully up and the lights are out.
Secondly, there needs to be much more enforcement of railroad crossing
signals by local and railroad police. People who ignore the lights or go
around the gates needed to be ticketed and heavily penalized in every
case, too often police or courts do not take these violations seriously.
Noel Weaver

I had to laugh when I read this on the wire at work -- this guy reminded me of one of the last few episodes of "The Office." Bumbling idiot Michael Scott is driving with a GPS, and the thing says to turn right. Despite a co-worker telling him the turn was another 100 feet up ahead (and pointing to it), Michael insisted on taking the GPS literally -- and turned right into a pond.

One potential solution would be something analogous to fire alarm pull stations, that when activated, drop the cab signal to restricting (most restrictive aspect). Of course, this opens the door to pranks...

Not a bad idea, but you also squashed it yourself -- pranks would definitely be a problem. Especially in populated areas where teens could easily run away without being caught, or even in remote areas where the nearest MTA Police Officer would (probably) be too far away to catch the culprits in the act or even getting away.

Cell phones are so prevalent today, that a sign with a phone number should be more than sufficient. And, in cases of law enforcement, ALL calls can be traced, even if the caller uses Caller ID Blocking. Yes, you can argue that most people wouldn't think to look for that sign in a time of panic. But you could also argue most people wouldn't think to look for a pullswitch, either. If anything, folks should know to call 911 -- and 911 dispatchers should be just as prepared (and authorized) as MTA Police to get a report quickly routed to the proper personnel.

I agree with Noel that respect and enforcement are key. But it's pretty obvious that the current efforts (like "Operation Lifesaver") aren't too effective as long as there are still people trying to run the gates.

How often do you see Operation Lifesaver anymore? Are they making the right approach to get their message across? The ONLY place I ever see Operation Lifesaver "in person" is at train shows -- which are primarily attended by people who already know a great deal about trains, and the dangers associated with grade crossings. Preaching to the choir. Maybe the only other place I've seen them with a presence would be at the New York State Fair in Syracuse... along with dozens of other state agencies. Most people are there to get drunk, eat fried dough, and attend country music concerts... not to pick up educational brochures about railroad crossing safety or how much cheese is made in NYS every year.

TV Ads? Haven't seen any in awhile. Are the Operation Lifesaver commercials really just PSAs? In that case, they'll rarely (if ever) see air, as most stations are booked solid with commercials that are actually paid for. Free PSAs are usually aired very late at night, when nobody's watching.

Case in point, maybe it's time for an overhaul and a resurgence of Operation Lifesaver within New York State. Find more effective ways to get the message out there... a budget for TV ads that air when people are actually watching. Maybe some ads on myspace and facebook, to get the attention of younger drivers (impatient, less-experienced, more likely to "race" the train).

Or, we could just sit back and call it "survival of the fittest" and allow some of these "common sense-challenged" folks to thin themselves out, hopefully before they multiply.

I guess we should all be careful using GPS systems. Especially if you're driving to the Grand Canyon, watch out for that last turn!!!

At least this wasn't an M7 that hit the car. That couldn've been bad.

Did anyone get an E-Mail Alert from MNRR regarding this incident?
I subscribe to the Alert system offered on the MNRR website, but i didnt get a single alert about this incident, you would think that with all the delays it caused that they would have sent something out......

Follow up article, fairly thorough:

http://nyjournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ ... /801040377

The commentary on the article is fairly interesting, and of course, the bulk of the article concerns replacing the crossing. Also discussed, in a paralel to this thread, are calls for call boxes.

This crossing is ripe for closing. The Green lane crossing of the Saw Mill Riv Pky was closed years ago. The exits before and after can handle the traffic. Green lane should just dead end before the tracks and eliminate the SMRP exit/entrance. There is no need for this crossing.

To solve the prank problem, cheap cameras could be mounted nearby with views of the crossing. The pulling of the alarm could notify someone monitoring all the crossings to take a closer look at that one, if they see a car or distraught individual, push a button to allow the restricted signal thing to go through and have the police investigate. If it's just a bunch of miscreants standing around laughing, send just the police, and you'll have pictures (and fingerprints) of who to send the fine to.

The investment into this could pay itself off rather quickly after a few avoided accidents, or collected fines.

I think a pull alarm is a bad idea due to pranks. The farthest I'd go is a call box, because at least then you'd have a voice record, someone who an RTC can talk to. If you start getting into pull alarms, responses would be required, expenses would go up, etc., without actually hearing a human say something and wait at the call box to talk to someone, allowing for a responder to arrive. A pull alarm, you yank and run. You start getting into video surveillance, you're talking even more $$$ than a call box. Video's aren't going to stop kids or pranksters.

Best solution: for people to stop being morons at crossings. Since that won't happen, at least with a call box, you might protect innocent folks on the train.

99% of all motorist travel with cellphones you think they get out of car to callbox ????
What world you from ??

Dutch, I'm from the real world, where people do stupid things like follow the GPS Voice literally, and panic and jump out of their cars and forget to grab their cell phones and won't go back but instead run down the track waving their arms. Or, perhaps, are the 1% (I'd bet the % is higher) that don't have a cell or refuse to carry one (I can think of several older relatives in my family). Or, maybe, can get a quicker response from an RTC and don't know to look for the sign on the cross-bucks for the number (ever hear of sign pollution? People stop reading signs for that reason). A call box is a little more visible, especially for a following car, and when you're right at the crossing, it's right there.

I understand the reservations about call boxes, but with the rampant stupidity of drivers, especially in emergency situations, I think you have to provide maximum safety measures. In the best of all worlds and with maximum funding, there would be no grade crossings, but that's not the case, and people will still find a way to drive on the tracks (Rye).

But thanks for the ad hominem attack.