From the 03/23 Star Ledger. If the politicos would take a quick tour of the NEC, they'll see that fences don't work.
Manville wants to erect fencing along rail lines
Thursday, March 23, 2006
BY CATHY BUGMAN
Star-Ledger Staff
Manville officials are seeking to install fencing along the busy rail lines as a safety precaution, in light of two fatal incidents last year involving pedestrians crossing the tracks.
"It'd be a major deterrent," Mayor Angelo Corradino said.
The borough council passed a resolution Aug. 8 stating that fencing should be installed on both sides of the two railroad lines through Manville, and sent it to the two operators of those lines, Nor folk Southern Corp. of Washington, D.C., and CSX Transportation of Jacksonville, Fla.
But no further action has been taken since then.
"The ball's in their court," the mayor said of the rail companies.
Norfolk Southern spokesman Rudy Husband said his firm would be willing to review any proposal put before it for safety improvements.
"We would be more than happy to cooperate to address their concerns," he said of Manville officials. "If they believe fencing is the answer, we would work with them to erect fencing. If they want to consider a pedestrian overpass, we'd look at that, too."
Since the firm has not yet received a proposal, it has not moved forward on the matter, Husband said.
One concern about fencing is that it needs to be kept intact, with no holes or missing sections, he said. Whoever puts up the fencing is responsible for maintaining it, Husband added.
CSX spokesman Gary Sease said his company also is open to the idea.
"It's important to know where the fencing would be desired, that way we can help Manville enhance public safety," Sease said.
The latest fatality occurred Nov. 11 involving 17-year-old Manville High School senior Keith Miranda at Kyle Street and Railroad Place in the Lost Valley section of the borough. On July 17, Leonard Barber, 48, of Manville was struck and killed near the Main Street overpass.
According to the Federal Rail road Administration, 485 pedes trian rail trespass fatalities oc curred last year, including 16 in New Jersey. Since 1994, almost 5,100 people have been killed while trespassing on railroad rights-of- way, FRA statistics show.
Not everyone is certain that fencing would be the most reliable protection device.
"Kids will climb over it and cut it -- fences don't stop anybody," Councilman Kenneth Otrimski said. "If they want to get through it, they will."
Nonetheless, he noted that from a safety standpoint, having a fence would be better than nothing at all.
Borough officials said the safe and legal place to cross tracks is at designated pedestrian or roadway crossings, like at 13th Avenue near the high school.
Some officials said the best deterrent is educating the public about the hazards of rail crossing through programs such as Operation Lifesaver, which recruits volunteers to provide free safety presentations on how to increase pub lic safety around railroad tracks.
Manville High School principal Mary McLoughlin said her school would welcome any kind of rail safety awareness program.
Michael Lapotasky, a Manville High English teacher who volunteers as a borough firefighter and also serves as a member of the Somerset County Emergency Hazardous Materials team, is trying to bring Operation Lifesaver or a similar public education program to students.
"It's an important subject," he said. "Teachers, parents and the community at large, we should all take responsibility to make sure people do not cross where they should not be."
Why do we drive on parkways and park in driveways?
