On Monday, October 6, the Pleasant Prairie Village Board passed a resolution requesting the support of the Office of the Wisconsin Rail Commissioner. The resolution requests support for two separate, but related matters: the installation of warning devices at a rail spur on Highway H and support for the Kenosha County Bike Path Crossings along Highway H. A public hearing was held related to the two matters on August 20 of this year. Village representatives appeared at the pubic hearing and spoke in support of both warning devices at the rail spur and safety features related to the Kenosha County Bike Path project. Two car versus train accidents occurred at the Highway H rail spur this year, one in late June and one in early July.
During September, the Village received a proposed decision from the Office of the Commissioner of Railroads Hearing Examiner indicating that it supported safety upgrades to accommodate bike path crossings along County Highway H, but that conditions at the rail spur crossing County Highway H did not warrant the installation of lights or gates. The Hearing Examiner acknowledged in his decision, however, that, “It is not unusual for motor vehicles to run into trains that are already occupying the crossing, especially in low visibility conditions.” The decision cited approximately 23% of accidents involve motor vehicles running into trains.
Village Administrator Michael Pollocoff explained why this particular spur may be different, “Cars on this particular rail spur are loaded with chemicals. How many of the other car versus train accidents involve cars hauling chemicals? The Village respectfully disagrees with the Hearing Examiner’s decision that this particular spur doesn’t warrant additional warning devices.”
The resolution passed during the October 6 meeting expressed support for the Hearing Examiner’s decision regarding the proposed safety features for the Kenosha County Bike Path crossings. The same resolution also respectfully objected to the Hearing Examiner’s decision regarding the spur crossing. The resolution requests that the Office of the Commissioner of Railroads order the installation of warning lights and alarms to be placed at the rail spur crossing.