MTA Police to Participate in Railroad Crossing Awareness Day Wednesday

MTA Police Officers will be educating motorists, pedestrians and train customers by providing safety information at railroad crossings and train stations on June 3.

They may also issue summonses or written warnings if any safety violations are observed. The work is being done in conjunction with Operation Lifesaver, Inc., and is part of a worldwide event formally known as International Level Crossing Awareness Day, or, using locally familiar language, Railroad Crossing Awareness Day.

MTA police officers are expected to be at several locations in the morning including Hudson Avenue and the Metro-North Hudson Line in Peekskill.

The MTA wants to provide the public with these safety tips:

· The only safe place to cross a railroad crossing is at a designated crossing with either a crossbuck, flashing red lights or a gate.

· Never try to beat a train through the crossing.

· The train you see is closer and faster-moving than you think. If you see a train approaching, wait for it to go by, the gates go up and the lights stop flashing, before you proceed across the tracks.

· Be aware that trains cannot stop quickly. Even if the locomotive engineer sees you, a moving train takes a long distance to stop.

· Never drive around lowered gates. If you think a signal is malfunctioning, call the phone number posted on or near the crossing.

· Do not get trapped on the tracks; proceed through a crossing only if you are sure you can completely clear the crossing without stopping.

· If your vehicle ever stalls on a track with a train coming, get out immediately and move quickly away from the tracks in the direction from which the train is coming.

· Do not cross the tracks immediately after a train passes. A second train might be blocked by the first. Trains can come from either direction. Wait until you can see clearly around the first train in both directions.

· When you need to cross train tracks, go to a designated crossing, look both ways, and cross the tracks quickly, without stopping.

· It isn’t safe to stop closer than 15 feet from a rail.

· Flashing red lights indicate a train is approaching from either direction. Never walk around or behind lowered gates at a crossing, and DO NOT cross the tracks until the lights have stopped flashing and it’s safe to do so.

· ALWAYS EXPECT A TRAIN!

For more information about Operation Lifesaver, see this web page: http://oli.org/

For more information about International Level Crossing Awareness Day, see this web page:http://www.ilcad.org/