JANESVILLE, Wisc. — The Union Pacific Railroad and Wisconsin and Southern Railroad are being fined for not complying with a Janesville ordinance that restricts trains from blocking traffic for more than five continuous minutes, the the Janesville Gazette reports.
“We had a number of complaints about crossings being blocked for extraordinary long periods of time,” said Tom Rogers, assistant city manager.
Both railroads had many violations of the city ordinance, according to court documents.
Railroad representatives were not available for comment Friday.
On Thursday, Rock County Judge James Daley fined Union Pacific Railroad $4,254 and Wisconsin and Southern Railroad $3,545 for blocking streets, highways or crossings longer than allowed by the ordinance.
The city received many complaints against the railroad companies for not complying with the ordinance, which limits the time they can obstruct traffic, said assistant city attorney Helen Hanau.
Documents show Union Pacific Railroad is being fined for blocking traffic in incidents including:
–From 7:23 to 8:07 a.m. July 2 on Beloit Avenue in Janesville.
–From 3:50 to 4:07 p.m. Oct. 11 in the area of Delavan Drive at Cherry Street.
–From 8:23 to 8:58 a.m. Oct. 17 on Beloit Avenue near Kellogg Avenue.
Wisconsin and Southern Railroad, according to documents, blocked traffic:
–From 6:40 to 7:05 a.m. April 18 in the area of East Memorial Drive and Railroad Street.
–From 3:14 to 7:04 p.m. April 27 at the Five Points area.
–From 6:53 to 7:14 p.m. Aug. 23 on South Arch Street.
Noncompliance with the ordinance could keep emergency vehicles from their destinations, Rogers said.
“We’ve had regular communication and dialogue with the railroads, and they are going to make a greater effort to try and keep the crossings open,” he said.