June 12, 1999
Caution urged when crossing railroad tracks
By Malinda Ruble
Staff Writer
Stop, look, listen. These words may sound familiar, but all too often, drivers forget them when approaching railroad crossings &emdash; relying on the railroad gates to do their job.
However, at four crossings in the city, the gates have been malfunctioning. Unsuspecting drivers continue to cross the tracks, only to find a train is quickly approaching.
"They were malfunctioning at Clinton, Market, Perry and Wall streets. Clinton, Market and Perry were all on the same computer system. About a week ago, we had to direct traffic across because the semis wouldn't cross. These trains are going 50 miles an hour and will be going about 60 soon,'' said Tiffin Police Chief Tom Steyer.
With the increased amount of trains and the faster speeds, Steyer encouraged drivers to use extra caution.
"The gates haven't been broken for two days now. They seem to be operating OK, but we want people to be aware because they could break at any time,'' he said.
When the gates are operating properly, many drivers are used to them malfunctioning so they drive around the gates when trains are coming.
"We had a pickup truck swing around the one on Wall Street because they had been broken, and he just made it. It could have been a very big accident,'' Steyer said.
Steyer encouraged drivers to take the time to look for trains before crossing.
"And give yourself a lot of time to cross because of their speed,'' he said.