Puslinch council has decided to forego major improvements to two railway crossings, despite a letter from a resident highlighting safety concerns.
Elaine Wilton said the crossing near her home on Hume Road, as well as another nearby on Watson Road, just south of Arkell, are very dangerous due to the lack of flashing lights and gates.
“It is surprising to me that safeguards are not in place to protect the lives of citizens travelling these roads,” Wilton said in a letter to Wellington- Halton Hills MP Michael Chong. “While the trains that use this track proceed at a very low speed, there is still a great risk of collisions with vehicle traffic.”
She explained that Hume Road is “a fast-growing residential area with over 40 homes on its two kilometre length,” while Watson Road is “a busy thoroughfare for local traffic as well as traffic between Toronto and Guelph.”
However, Public Works Superintendent Jim Howlett told council he does not think major upgrades are an immediate necessity. He met recently with engineer Bob Wheildon, of Gamsby and Mannerow, and Tom Sagaskie, manager of the Guelph Junction Railway, which owns the line, and both supported his position.
Howlett said while the crossings were constructed over 100 years ago, current rail traffic is limited to 25 miles per hour, with only two train crossings per day.
He added that because the crossings do not have a history of fatalities or accidents and have a very low traffic volume, they would likely not receive any funding from Transport Canada’s grade crossing improvement program. Without funding, installing flashing lights would cost the township between $125,000 and $180,00 per crossing, Howlett said.
Instead, he suggested the township do basic road repairs on Hume Road and perform ongoing maintenance at both crossings, such as cutting back trees and brush to improve sight lines.
Considering Transport Canada has required a safety audit of all railway crossings by 2010 anyway, council agreed with Howlett’s suggestion.
Howlett did, however, acknowledge Watson Road would likely not pass the audit due to its acute angle, and Hume Road would fail due to the road grade.
