Welcome to my Metra Crossing Offenders Site

This site is dedicated to all the potential Darwin Awards winners who risk their lives by crossing railroad tracks with the gates down. All because they can't be bothered to wait for the next train. Or they just don't give a damn.

The focus is on the Fox River Grove station as that's where I commute from every day.

One of the dangers of this crossing is the long lead time between the gates going down and the train actually getting there - this creates a false sense of security and folks just dash across. It's also a blind crossing, so those that cross in the evening before the gates have gone all the way up are at risk of there being an unseen train coming the other way.

Remember - ALWAYS expect a train

Due to increased traffic on this site, the video clips have been moved to Google Video - click on the date/times below to access them.

I was invited to the November 8, 2005 meeting of Fox River Grove's Public Health & Safety committee thanks to a letter that I wrote to the Village President and Trustees.

It seems that someone from Elgin responded to my version of the letter that appeared in the Daily Herald. Without knowing anything else about me, I was labelled as just some crackpot that must've gotten caught crossing tracks myself and was thus trying to get everyone else nailed.

Nothing could be further from the truth. If this person has the resources, they can check my record.

The author also said I should volunteer. Well, I TRIED to volunteer. I sent an e-mail to Chip Pew, the person in charge of Illinois' Operation Lifesaver presenters and associates.

OLI update: After the October 25, 2006 incident in Fox River Grove, Chip Pew and I finally got a chance to chat and I officially volunteered. I'm looking forward to the class in February, 2007.

Thanks to jury duty, I missed the February class, but there's one coming up shortly in Elmhurst.

Well, I finally got to the Operation Lifesaver presenter's training class. Now that I have all my materials and videos, I'm working on preparing a full presentation.

"Remember who drove the car into the crossing area. Who drove the car? The train didn't drive there. It goes there. It can't go anywhere else," said Mark Rosenker, acting chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, at a news conference. "The decision-making process was made by a driver. People have to be sensitive to the dangers of these rail crossings."

I participated in a "safety blitz" at the Cary train station on 12/15/2006 along with Sgt. Geoffrey Cooker of the Cary Police Department, Chip Pew of the ICC and OLI and Cary resident Jerry Duncan.

A PDF copy of the handout

I was also invited to observe the enforcement phase on 01/23/2007. Four officers from the Cary Police Department and four officers from the Union Pacific Police were on hand to ticket violators.

The law:

(625 ILCS 5/11-1011)
    Sec. 11-1011.  Bridge and railroad signals.
    (a)  No pedestrian shall enter or remain upon any bridge or approach
thereto beyond the bridge  signal,  gate,  or  barrier  after  a  bridge
operation signal indication has been given.
    (b)  No  pedestrian  shall  pass through, around, over, or under any
crossing gate or barrier at a railroad grade crossing  or  bridge  while
such gate or barrier is closed or is being opened or closed.
    (c)  No  pedestrian  shall  enter,  remain  upon  or traverse over a
railroad grade crossing or pedestrian walkway crossing a railroad  track
when  an  audible  bell or clearly visible electric or mechanical signal
device is operational giving warning of the presence, approach, passage,
or departure of a railroad train.
    (d)  A violation of any part of this Section is a petty offense  for
which  a  $250  fine  shall be imposed for a first violation, and a $500
fine shall be imposed for a second or subsequent violation.   The  court
may impose 25 hours of community service in place of the $250 fine for a
first violation.
    (e)  Local   authorities   shall  impose  fines  as  established  in
subsection (d) for pedestrians who fail to obey signals  indicating  the
presence, approach, passage, or departure of a train.
(Source: P.A. 92-814, eff. 1-1-03.)
    

Last updated: 05/14/2007 11:06am