(The following story by Gary Rennie appeared on the Windsor Star website on January 14.)
WINDSOR — The town has major safety issues looming with both railways that cross the municipality, council was told Tuesday.
Council agreed with a petition from 150 residents to lobby the federal ministry of transportation and Via Rail for some flexibility in the placement of the 18 miles of safety fence to be constructed later this year.
Deputy Mayor Bob Sylvester said the town would have to drop fire trucks into narrow waterfront subdivisions with helicopters if Via Rail won’t compromise on locations for the fence.
And with a recent fatality at an unguarded CP Rail crossing at Wallace Line, the town is re-examining the safety of all 50 of its road crossings with both railways.
With construction on County Road 22, more residents have been using sideroads where railway crossings are unguarded, said Coun. Francis Kennette.
Not only Wallace Line, but also the CP Rail track close to the new St. Anne high school should get gates at Puce Road, Kennette said.
“It’s imperative we take all steps necessary to ensure the safety of residents out there,” said Kennette.
However, director of engineering Dan Piescic warned the cost of adding railway gates and signals at each crossing is around $150,000.
Some of the costs have to be borne by the municipality and a full report on the issue is being prepared, Piescic said.
On the Via Rail front, council heard from Crystal Beach resident Rick Teno, who presented the petition.
He warned that if Via builds a fence out 25 feet from both sides of its tracks that fire, police and ambulance vehicles won’t have room to turn around in many areas.
Teno said some roads are only 12 feet wide, and emergency vehicles routinely use railway property to turn around.
To prevent collisions with its high-speed passenger trains, Via wants all sheds, garages, boats and vehicles illegally stored on its property for decades to be moved before it starts building the safety fence later this year. Cost of the six-foot-high fence has been estimated at $11 million.
Via has said its main concern is how many people, including children, are getting close to tracks used by trains travelling at up to 95 m.p.h., eight times a day.
About a 1,000 residential properties are affected along the Via tracks, almost all of them in Lakeshore.
The narrow beach subdivisions along Lake St. Clair east of Belle River are the big problem, Sylvester noted. In some areas “any fence would be a dangerous thing for our residents,” he said.
The worst-case scenario would be sending an emergency vehicle into one area and not be able to get it out quickly to another incident, Sylvester said.
Mayor Tom Bain said in his discussions with Via officials they have insisted on a minimum 25 feet of fenced-off land on either side of their tracks to give train crews clear views of what’s ahead.
Lee Holling, director of community and development services, said a report on the legal issues involved in the fence issue should be ready soon.