Railroad tracks are for trains

2:59 p.m., March 2, 2005--Lawrence Thornton, director of public safety, has a word of advice for students—and anyone else—considering walking on or next to the railroad tracks: “Don’t!”

In light of the recent incident in which a student was injured while walking alongside the CSX tracks, members of the University community are reminded to cross the tracks at designated crossing sites and to observe the signal warnings at these crossings.

Engineers have no ability to avoid pedestrians, and trains cannot stop quickly. For example, a freight train traveling 60 miles per hour can take 1.5 miles or more to complete an emergency stop.

Walking on the railroad tracks not only is unsafe, it’s also illegal, Thornton said. According to Newark city ordinances, individuals who go on the railroad tracks--other than at marked and identified public crossings--are guilty of trespassing. Fines for first-time violations can range from $100 to $500.

E-mail this article

To learn how to subscribe to UDaily, click here.