[RP TownTalk] F4 Buses

[Robert Oppenheim]

The new crossing gates greatly improve the safety of the RR
crossing, but it is still dangerous. This crossing was rated as
one of the 10 most dangerous in the state and a great many
accidents happen there.  I know of two in just the last 4 months.
We continue to be lucky and have only experienced relatively
minor accidents.

Safety improvements are still needed: Better lighting; painted
cross walks; no turns from Lafayette onto the RR crossing and
vice-versa.

Break Away Gates...

By the way, the gates are made to break away. If you somehow
get caught between them, just drive thru the gate. Of course,
this assumes that you can get past the other cars and buses!

Turning Buses Totally Block the Intersection...

A day or two after the recent bus accident, I watched a bus make
the left from Lafayette onto the tracks. It completely blocked
the intersection and forced vehicles to stop *on the tracks. *The
vehicles were totally hemmed in by the bus and the cars in front
and behind them. Had a train come along at that moment, a
horrible accident would have happened.  That is a time bomb
waiting to go off.

At a bare minimum, buses need to be routed so they do not make
a left turn from Lafayette onto the tracks. 

I wonder if we have the foresight to act now to improve our RR
crossing safety. Can we be prodded into action by relatively
minor accidents or do we have to wait until something horrible
happens, like a death or a toxic waste spill?

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