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.
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.