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Triangles of iron should be experienced

The people who live and work in Fostoria knew before it happened that increased rail traffic was going to:

• Make a mess out of getting around in the city, and,
• Increase the safety hazards from blocked crossings.

Their appeals to the state for help were not ignored, but the response was bureaucratic activity rather than construction of a much needed underpass/overpass or two.

In whatever way such priorities are determined by state officials, the needs in other locales were considered greater than those in Fostoria.

A week ago, State Rep. Rex Damschroder, R-Fremont, arranged a meeting in Fostoria to talk about the problems.

Damschroder says he already was aware of Fostoria's rail problems, but that his interest soared after being stuck for 17 minutes behind lowered crossing gates .... when there was no train.

The legislator's experience would be a good one for other state officials. Besides hearings and the gathering of data, there should be some hands-on experience ... hands on the steering wheel.

There's a good chance that the priority assigned to Fostoria's rail crossing problems might be higher if officials from the Ohio Rail Commission, Ohio Department of Transportation and Public Utilities Commission did some driving in the city.

If one of them &emdash; heaven forbid &emdash; needed an ambulance while trapped in one of Fostoria's "iron triangles," it just might get the message home.

The city has had its share of emergencies caused by the configuration of tracks. But none of them has been a tragedy.

There should be a solution before such a sad occasion occurs.

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