Lyons Hosts Operation Clear the Tracks

mrandolphadvance@gmail.com

Amtrak officials came to Lyons on Tuesday, September 20, to give out information to the public on railroad safety as a part of the Operation Clear The Tracks movement. These officials stood alongside Lyons Police Department Officers near the railroad crossings on Oxley Drive and South Lanier Street to provide commuters with information on Grade Crossing Safety Tips and Railroad Trespassing information until they ran out of information cards around lunch. Among the distributed information were these tips.

Grade Crossing Safety Tips

• Never drive or walk around lowered grade crossing gates.

• Never attempt to outrun an approaching train.

• Never stop your vehicle on a grade crossing while waiting for traffic to move.

• Never begin to drive across the tracks unless you can get all the way across.

• Always call the Emergency Notification System number at any time that you find problems or obstructions at the crossing. This number is posted on a blue sign near the crossing or on the crossing gate posts.

• Always remember a train can take up to a mile or more to stop.

• Always know that the average train is three feet wider than the tracks on each side.

• Always slow down and stop your vehicle prior to train tracks when lights begin to flash.

Railroad Trespassing Safety Tips

• Never walk, run, play, or take pictures on the railroad right-of-way. If you are on or near the tracks, you are trespassing on private property and breaking the law.

• If you’re standing on the train tacks, you may not hear or feel an oncoming train in time to get away safely.

• Only cross the tracks at designated public crossings.