MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The focus is on railroad security after dozens of deaths and accidents throughout the final 12 months.
Between 2021 and 2022 to date, we’ve coated 17 Brightline crashes involving pedestrians and drivers, 10 of them deadly.
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This week we noticed back-to-back collisions.
On Monday in Pompano Beach a person was hit and killed, and his truck was left unrecognizable. Then a day later, a person was hit and killed on Hollywood tracks when his jeep was struck by the Brightline.
“It’s no different than stopping at a red light. You can’t drive through a red light, you can’t drive around a rail gate,” explains Ben Porritt, Brightline Senior Vice President.
The Federal Roadway Administration mentioned they’re very involved concerning the variety of grade crossing and pedestrian fatalities reported alongside the Brightline hall in South Florida, however Porritt mentioned it’s an issue impacting not simply them.
“This is not unique to Brightline. This is something you see throughout the country,” he mentioned.
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Now, Brightline and the Florida East Coast Railway are teaming up with the state, engaged on a $45,000,000 mission to make railroads safer.
“There are three different types of safety enhancements. The first is channelization fencing and landscaping that will take people from just crossing the railroad, down to a proper crossing,” mentioned Porritt.
They’ll additionally set up delineators at every crossing to stop drivers from making a left or proper onto the railroad tracks they usually plan to create dynamic, daring indicators to warn drivers of lively railroads.
“Mechanisms that channel people away from the railroad and certainly avoid the railroad when they shouldn’t be there anyway,” explains Porritt. He says he’s assured these security enhancements may have a noticeable impression in decreasing the variety of collisions, accidents and deaths we’re at present seeing.
“Pay attention to the safety warnings, stop before the tracks, don’t park on the tracks, don’t try to beat a train. Our trains go through crossings in 45 seconds,” he provides.
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The $45,000,000 might be used to enhance greater than 300 railroad crossings in Florida from Miami-Dade to Brevard County.