Rockland County Eyes Vehicle-Detection System, 4-Arm Gates At Railroad Crossings
ORANGETOWN, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Rockland County is moving closer to improving safety at some railroad crossings.
As WCBS 880's Paul Murnane reported, the county is looking to install crossing gates with four arms -- which make it more difficult for drivers to navigate around.
Officials also want to add vehicle-detection gear on the tracks, which would improve quality of life in neighborhoods by creating "quiet zones" along the freight-only CSX River Line. The system would reduce the need for trains to sound their horns when approaching crossings.
Rockland County Eyes Vehicle Detection System, 4-Arm Gates At Railroad Crossings
While such measures would improve safety, Rick Campbell, who has worked with agencies and railroads on such projects, said nothing can be called foolproof -- for example, if a driver crashes through the gates as a train nears.
"There's a point where physics take over, and we just can't do anymore," he said.
LoHud.com reported that the first phase of the project -- improving 14 crossings -- will cost about $6 million, with federal funding for more than half that cost in place.
The measures would help prevent crashes such as last week's collision in Valhalla between a Metro-North Railroad train and an SUV on the tracks. Six people died in the fiery crash -- the SUV driver and five people aboard the train.
Systems to detect vehicles on the tracks are currently used on some Amtrak crossings in Connecticut.
