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No Signs of Trouble Any More
Dec. 14th, 2010 08:58 pm Rails to Trails tried to get permission to tear out the rail line that goes past my little townlet to build a bike path into Columbus. The railway, the major way the farm communities west of Columbus get their goods to market was unwilling to just give up their business.
So, some kind of deal was struck, and over the past few months, the berm areas close to the rails have been developed into a bike trail, with sweet wooden fencing and the crossing of doom has been improved. When the weather gets nice again, I'm going to love biking and skating on this trail.
Except that the bike trail people put up, like three signs that totally blocked the flashing lights that warn drivers of the impending train. We don't have the lowering guard rails, either. So those YIELD TO BIKES and STOP HERE and the bike symbol signs were actually increasing the danger at the intersection. This troubled me.
Yesterday, I called both Angels on the Tracks (who helped us so much with the railway after the Sparkle incident) and the posted numbers on the flashing lights (put up after Angels on the Tracks contacted the railway about the Sparkle incident.) I spoke to a secretary at the rail line, who took a message. I spoke to an earnest, very interested type at Angels. I explained my issue, without going into the Sparkle incident of yore, (worrying that too much from me might hamper the cause.)
Today, the signs are gone, leaving only the posts behind. I'm not sure whether the rail line removed them, or Rails to Trails, or the construction company, but I'm glad that they are re-thinking this. I wonder also how many other drivers this past week have driven across the rails as annoyed as I have been, and how many other complaints there have been. I know the county sheriff lives in our neighborhood, so he could have gotten the ball rolling, too.
So, some kind of deal was struck, and over the past few months, the berm areas close to the rails have been developed into a bike trail, with sweet wooden fencing and the crossing of doom has been improved. When the weather gets nice again, I'm going to love biking and skating on this trail.
Except that the bike trail people put up, like three signs that totally blocked the flashing lights that warn drivers of the impending train. We don't have the lowering guard rails, either. So those YIELD TO BIKES and STOP HERE and the bike symbol signs were actually increasing the danger at the intersection. This troubled me.
Yesterday, I called both Angels on the Tracks (who helped us so much with the railway after the Sparkle incident) and the posted numbers on the flashing lights (put up after Angels on the Tracks contacted the railway about the Sparkle incident.) I spoke to a secretary at the rail line, who took a message. I spoke to an earnest, very interested type at Angels. I explained my issue, without going into the Sparkle incident of yore, (worrying that too much from me might hamper the cause.)
Today, the signs are gone, leaving only the posts behind. I'm not sure whether the rail line removed them, or Rails to Trails, or the construction company, but I'm glad that they are re-thinking this. I wonder also how many other drivers this past week have driven across the rails as annoyed as I have been, and how many other complaints there have been. I know the county sheriff lives in our neighborhood, so he could have gotten the ball rolling, too.
