Sun Valley : Hearing Will Target Car-Train Accidents

Federal, state and county transportation officials used a heavily traveled railroad crossing as a backdrop Thursday to promote a public hearing aimed at reducing the number of fatal accidents involving cars and trains.

In recent years, the crossing at Sunland Boulevard and San Fernando Road has undergone a series of safety improvements, most notably a synchronized traffic light system that prevents cars from “stacking up” on the tracks when a train approaches. The system is designed to prevent such accidents as the one that occurred Oct. 25 in a Chicago suburb, in which a school bus full of children was stuck in traffic and unable to get off the tracks.

The federal Department of Transportation’s grade crossing safety task force will hold an all-day hearing today at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles to discuss ways to make railroad crossings across the country safer.

There are 280,000 rail crossings on public land in the U.S., only about 30% of which are gated, officials said. In 1994, there were 4,921 accidents at these crossings, killing 610 people and injuring 1,923 others.

Though transportation officials say they would like to see gates installed at all grade crossings, funds are not always available in all jurisdictions. The improvements to the crossing at Sunland and San Fernando since 1991 are valued at about $120,000, county officials said.

And even where gates exist, problems persist. More than 50% of the fatal accidents involving cars and trains in 1994 occurred at gated crossings where the lights were flashing, but a driver tried to beat the train.

“As areas like California become more congested, you’re going to see more trains on the tracks as people seek transit alternatives,” said Michael Huerta, associate deputy secretary of the federal Department of Transportation.

“On the other hand, you’re also going to see drivers getting more impatient as the traffic gets worse, which means some will take the risk and try to beat the train,” he said. “That’s why so much of our program involves educating people about safety.”