LONDON, Ontario- Every year, dozens of Canadians especially young Canadians are killed or injured around railway tracks and trains. Collisions at railway crossings are tragically common; in 2017, there were 142 such incidents across Canada which killed 19 people and seriously injured another 21. Today, Operation Lifesaver, in partnership with HUB Surface Systems and the City of London, unveiled a new community rail-safety program aimed at curbing these tragic incidents. 

Through the new Listen.. Live. Community Safety Partnership Program, Operation Lifesaver will work to identify locations where rail safety decals can be installed across the country, to raise awareness among people walking, cycling, and driving, about the need to exercise caution around railway crossings.

Representatives from Operation Lifesaver and its partner railways, Mayor Matt Brown, alongside City staff and members of the local business community, unveiled the first installed decals today on the sidewalks approaching the Richmond Street / Canadian Pacific Railway crossing in downtown London.

The decals are yellow and diamond-shaped similar to traffic warning signs and feature a black silhouette of a train, as well as the words Look. Listen. Live. The decals will also be installed at London’s Rectory Street and Colborne Street crossings of the Canadian National Railway south of York Street in the near future.

Our hope is that when people see these decals, it will remind them to pay closer attention to their surroundings when they’re at a railway crossing. We want them to slow down, look in both directions, listen for approaching trains, and obey railway warning signals, said Sarah Mayes, Operation Lifesaver’s National Director.

We're proud to be one of the first municipalities in Canada to take part in the new Look. Listen. Live. Community Safety Partnership Program, said Mayor Matt Brown. Working with our friends at Operation Lifesaver, we’ve been able to enhance the presence of rail safety reminders in our community as we strive to make our local rail network and its surroundings even safer.

Additional measures underway by the City of London to create a safe and accessible environment around railway crossings include:

• rehabilitating sidewalks near crossings
• improving pavement markings and signage leading up to the crossing
• improving sightlines
• developing a system for real-time alerts for people driving

Education is an essential step towards reducing/eliminating railway incidents, says Doug MacRae, Director, Roads & Transportation at the City of London. This program provides the necessary tools to raise awareness about rail safety, especially among pedestrians approaching our ground-level crossings.

Read the source article at businesswire.com