Officials for Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) need to take a long look at the railway crossing on Queen Street just off Highway 39.
There have been a number of collisions with trains at that crossing, and on Jan. 25 the most recent accident occurred, in which a semi hauling round hay bales was clipped across the front of the truck by the train.
Somehow the driver was able to walk away from that without any injuries; the same couldn't be said of the truck, which was heavily damaged across the front end, with the hood thrown several metres away, and pieces of the engine scattered over the ditch area. With this kind of damage done, it is truly fortunate the driver was able to live to tell the tale and explain what happened to the police.
The problem is, of course, this was not the first collision at that crossing, and very likely won't be the last, unless CPR undertakes to put in some safety measures. There is only a crossing sign there, but no flashing lights or safety arms are in place.
Just a little ways down the track, residents may remember a tragic fatality that occurred when the manager of the Wal-Mart was killed trying to cross the tracks over to the store. The result is that crossing was closed off to all traffic.
This crossing at least is marked, but the one that was closed was in the middle of a straight-away; the Queen Street crossing is right by a curve in the tracks, and this may well be a factor in the collisions that have occurred there.
Residents do not want to see another fatality occur, or any accident, at that crossing, before something is done to fix the situation. The only reason this driver wasn't killed was that the train hit the very front of the truck; a little further back in the cab, and the result would have been much different.
For the safety of the travelling public, flashing lights at least, if not arms, are needed to make this crossing safer.
