Education and Enforcement
This Handbook presents guidance and standards which are applied to develop engineered treatments intended to improve safety and operations at crossings. Sound engineering is fundamental to safety. It is acknowledged that the synergy of the “Three E’s—Engineering, Education, and Enforcement” maximizes the benefits of engineering treatments. It is beyond the scope of this Handbook to provide an in-depth presentation of materials on education and enforcement, but practitioners should be aware that initiatives in these areas are fundamental to maximizing safety at crossings.
Education
Education on crossing safety at the national level is provided by Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (OLI) as well as several Federal agencies. The OLI is a nonprofit public safety and awareness organization established in 1972, which provides educational resources, public awareness materials and 173community involvement activities focused on crossing safety. The OLI engages volunteers who provide training on rail crossing safety. The OLI also partners with emergency responders and local law enforcement to support initiatives to promote crossing safety. The OLI partners with the USDOT in supporting “Rail Safety Week.” The first U.S. Rail Safety Week was held on September 24–30, 2017. This effort was timed to occur with the beginning of the school year when other safety initiatives take place. More information on OLI, its activities and materials can be found at its website at https://oli.org/. Transit districts across the country promote education on crossing safety. Large urban transit districts also develop and disseminate safety-related materials within their districts using a wide range of venues. Examples include the Chicago Transit Authority “It’s Not Worth Your Life. Stay off the Tracks” campaign (66), New York MTA’s “Wait for the Gate” campaign(67), and Los Angeles Metro, which has developed a series of “Safetyville” videos using stick figure animation to deliver graphic reminders of transportation ‑related safety hazards and consequences of risky behavior.(68)
Enforcement
Crossing collisions occur less frequently than collisions involving highway vehicles, bicycles, motorcycles, or pedestrians, and risky behavior at a crossing does not necessarily entail a legal violation. Local initiatives and targeted enforcement campaigns have been used to enhance crossing safety. A recent example was an “enforcement blitz” conducted in Portage County, WI, involving the State patrol, local police and CN railroad police in May 2018. (69) The V olpe Center prepared an in-depth study of enforcement campaigns in the Public Education and Enforcement Research Study (USDOT, December 2006).(70) The Public Education and Enforcement Research Study (PEERS) assessment describes two local initiatives and success factors. Improved safety was identified in the Arlington Heights, IL, initiative characterized by commuter train operations and a population of repeat crossing users versus Macomb, IL, where the rail traffic was predominantly long freight trains and the population more variable.