Lakeshore rail crossing ranked among riskiest in Canada
Speeding drivers are the only safety concern, say residents who regularly use the crossing
A railroad crossing in Lakeshore was deemed to be one of the highest-risk crossings in the country according to federal data obtained by CBC News.
Transport Canada generated a ranking of crossings based on risk factors in 2014 based in part on a computer modeling system that assesses risk levels at rail crossings in Canada.
Out of 500 riskiest locations identified at the time of the assessment, the crossing on County Road 22 was ranked 19th overall when comparing risk factors. The same site ranks ninth in Ontario, where 222 of the higher-risk sites were found at the time.
I've lived in the area all my life and I've never seen an accident at this railroad- Tom Bain, Lakeshore Mayor
Essex County engineer Tom Bateman is baffled by the ranking, saying sightlines at the crossing are quite good.
"This came as a bit of a surprise to us," he said. "Certainly that crossing isn't on — what I would term — our radar screen. It certainly doesn't stand out in terms of having a history of conditions that would warrant that high of a ranking."
The data behind the list
The list was generated in 2014 by Transport Canada in part by a risk assessment computer model called GradeX, that was developed for the department by the University of Waterloo to assist with targetting improvements to higher-risk crossings. The GradeX system is only made available internally to Transport Canada staff.
In order to assess risk factors, the model evaluate factors such as volume or road rail traffic, train speeds, number of tracks and warning devices present. The federal agency explained that changes made to crossings or other new variables after 2014 are not reflected in the ranking, and that a reassessment today would not necessarily yield the same results.
Officials did not accept interview requests Tuesday, but they further explained their ranking system in a written statement.
"Risk factors do not necessarily mean a crossing is unsafe," according to the statement sent out by the media relations department. "When you compare two different crossings against these risk factors you may deem one crossing to be higher risk than the other. These characteristics are not compliance related, that is to say a crossing that is deemed as a higher risk is not unsafe."
No accidents
Lakeshore Mayor Tom Bain does not understand the poor ranking of the crossing on County Road 22. He lives nearby and crosses the tracks daily.
"I've lived in the area all my life and I've never seen an accident at this railroad," he said. "It's a crossing where the sight line is quite good."
Invasive phragmite in the area can occasionally grow quite high along the shoulders of the road, but Bain said the municipality is regularly pushing to ensure the track owner keeps up with grooming.
"We're constantly after the railroad to cut those," he said.
Bain and other residents in the area do not recall ever seeing an accident at this section of the tracks. Information from Transport Canada confirmed there has not been a collision at the crossing between 2000 and Dec. 15, 2015.
Speeding motorists
Several residents living in the area expressed concerns about speeding drivers along the county road, some of whom are often seen trying to race past the tracks when a train is coming and safety signals are flashing.
Connie Pedden and her family live metres from the tracks. Though surprised by the ranking, given she has never seen an accident there, Pedden regularly witnesses drivers barreling down the road well above the posted speed limit of 80 km/h.
"They're fast. They definitely are fast," she said. "They do try and beat the train. You can see, if they do get stopped [behind the train], they're frustrated and then they're whizzing by the house."
Ray Tellier questions the ranking as well, but he too has seen drivers speed up when a train is approaching.
"I've seen that happen," the former school bus driver said. "You can get a train, maybe a quarter of a mile away, and they'll go across," he said.