(The following story by Rick Bella appeared on The Oregonian website on July 10.)
MILWAUKIE — A recent crackdown on motorists and pedestrians who run railroad crossings was called a success by the Milwaukie police and Union Pacific Railroad.
“I think we did a lot to raise public awareness of safety concerns at crossings,” said Officer Kevin Krebs, Milwaukie police spokesman. “But there still is a lot to do.”
The two agencies teamed up June 26 to cite scofflaws at the city’s four railroad crossings: Southeast Harrison Street between 31st Avenue and Oregon 224; Oak Street between Railroad Avenue and Oregon 224; 37th Avenue between Railroad and Oregon 224; and Harmony Road between Railroad and Linwood avenues.
In all, police issued eight citations and 11 warnings, all to motorists, said Brock Nelson, Union Pacific spokesman. Fines for crossing violations range from $97 to $242.
Krebs said railroad crossing safety is particularly important in Milwaukie.
“We’ve had a couple of serious problems at crossings,” Krebs said. “Two pedestrians were hit last year. One was killed and another lost his leg.”
He also said one vehicle was hit by a train last year.
Krebs said some motorists try to race the crossing arms as they come down to warn of an oncoming train.
“Or else, they think it’s cute to drive around them,” Krebs said. “This is a big risk because it takes a long time for a train to stop.”
Pedestrians, he said, seem to follow the same pattern, trying to scoot across the tracks while a train is bearing down on them.
The crackdown, the first held in Milwaukie, was part of Union Pacific’s Crossing Accident Reduction Enforcement program. As part of the program, the railroad has assembled a 24-member task force of Union Pacific special agents who work with local police officers to enforce highway-railroad crossing laws.
The Milwaukie exercise was part of a weeklong crackdown from Eugene to Centralia, Wash., which resulted in 122 citations and 78 warnings, Nelson said.
Nelson said Union Pacific plans to return periodically to crossings along its routes to raise public awareness of safety issues.
Last year, according to statistics compiled by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration, there were 24 crashes at Oregon railroad crossings, resulting in one death and three injuries.