CLEVELAND, August 20 — The city of Saginaw, Mich. recently became the 35th community to adopt a safety resolution regarding the use of remote control trains within its boundaries.
The Saginaw City Council unanimously approved a resolution calling for the Federal Railroad Administration to develop comprehensive regulations for the use of remote controlled locomotives, and that “those regulations ensure that the safety and well-being of the citizens of Saginaw will not be jeopardized by the use of such devices.”
Greg Powell, Michigan State Legislative Board Chairman, thanked the members of BLE Division 304 (Saginaw), especially Local Chairman Dave Norman and Legislative Representative Don Roach. He also thanked Joe Smith, President of the Saginaw Central Labor Council; Wilmar Jones-Harm, Saginaw Mayor; Carol Cotrell, City Councilwoman; and the rest of the Saginaw City Council.
In addition to Saginaw, 24 U.S. cities have adopted similar resolutions: Baton Rouge, La.; Detroit, Mich.; Shreveport, La.; Marysville, Mich.; Boston, Mass.; Cleveland, Ohio; Pine Bluff, Ark.; North Little Rock, Ark.; Beardstown, Ill.; Bakersfield, Calif.; Woodbridge, N.J.; Belen, N.M.; Maple Heights, Ohio; Alliance, Neb.; Evansville, Ind.; Dupo, Ill.; Durand, Mich; Flat Rock, Mich.; Woodhaven, Mich; Flint, Mich.; Sparks, Nev.; Commerce, Calif.; Clinton, Iowa; and Montebello, Calif.
Also, 10 counties have passed similar remote control resolutions. They are: Douglas County, Wisc.; West Baton Rouge Parish, La.; Point Coupee Parish, La.; Cuyahoga County, Ohio; Huron County, Ohio; Erie County, Ohio; Whitley County, Ky.; Unicoi County, Tenn.; Contra Costa County, Calif.; and Knox Couty, Tenn.
A PDF of the resolution can be found at:
http://www.ble.org/pr/pdf/saginaw.pdf