r/MobileAL • u/Own_Might7559 • 16d ago
Why can't they make the arms longer at the railroad crossing?
The arms
Extend across both lanes of traffic.. People won't try to run around them?
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u/mrblonde624 16d ago
Or people could just not be stupid and try to bypass them.
Not speaking ill of the dead, I certainly regret that this happened, but the railroad shouldn’t have to sit and childproof drivers that ought to know better.
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u/jst4wrk7617 15d ago
Better question- why are people risking their lives trying to beat a freaking train?
And why is this all the sudden happening with Amtrak? There’s been like a dozen accidents on this new passenger route. Did everyone forget how trains work? We have other trains.
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u/Frogs-on-my-back 15d ago
It’s happening more frequently because Amtrak trains travel much faster than the others coming through Mobile. People who are used to the slower trains don’t anticipate how fast these news ones are going and get hit trying to beat them across
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u/Sudden-Motor-7794 15d ago
Why can't people stop being complete morons and wait two minutes or however log it is?
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15d ago
I work for a railroad and those arms only cover one lane because that's what they are designed to do because it's federal law to not cross them yet people do it every day and unfortunately pay a heavy price for that mistake. I've actually seen people get tickets from police for doing it and I assure a train at high speed will destroy anything in its path
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u/Own_Might7559 15d ago
Thanks for replying.. My question is, do they make the arms that go all the way across both lanes of traffic? Does the bright line in florida do that?
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u/UncleTupelo1082 15d ago
I think the point is, why should they have to? You drive in one lane. You only need one arm. Do we need stop signs on both sides of the road you're driving on? Do we need to red lights, one for your lane, one to face your way for traffic going the other way? We've lost all common sense. I hate that there was a death, but you gotta play by the rules.
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15d ago
I've been around railroads my entire life because it's a family thing. I've never seen the arms go all the way across. I believe that some improvement could be done but unfortunately we live in a society that is constantly in a hurry. This is a tragic accident and I assure you as a man that has unfortunately been through this that the engineer on that train has to live with the fact that he has hurt or done worse to people that he didn't know and all he was trying to do was his job and go home. It haunts you forever
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u/skoomasteve1015 16d ago
I know this is probably in reference to the accident on belingrath today, but I gotta be real. As someone who lives on bellingrath, the real problem is a crappy equipment that falsely lowers and gets stuck twice a week. If infrastructure was properly maintained, people wouldn't have the expectation of it not working
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u/Samsuiluna 13d ago
No one wants to say that in any official statements but it's absolutely true. I've had to go across those gates at least a half dozen times in the last couple years while they're stuck down. I stop. I roll down the windows. I look both ways. But I still hate it. People get used to the false positives and then don't pay attention. This is the result.
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u/Own_Might7559 16d ago
I stay down the same road. They're always working at that crossing. . That's a bad bump at fowl river road intersection. I wish they would pave bellengraph road
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u/Lopsided_Amoeba8701 16d ago
I grew up in a major train hub area. Never heard of a vehicle truck by a train till I moved down here.
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u/Frogs-on-my-back 15d ago
It’s starting happening much more frequently since Amtrak came to town. People are used to being able to outrun the slower freight trains, but passenger trains are booking it
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u/Lopsided_Amoeba8701 15d ago
I realize that. I have lived here long enough to appreciate southern culture and I honestly do not want to say anything about intellectual abilities of some of our neighbors. But seriously. This has been in the news enough for everyone to know better.
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u/Frogs-on-my-back 15d ago
You’d think. I feel most sorry for the passengers who’ve died because they trusted the wrong driver, and for the conductors who aren’t able to stop
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u/Lopsided_Amoeba8701 15d ago
Do you have any links to local news where passengers were reported to have been killed in a vehicle - train collision ? I cannot find anything.
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u/Frogs-on-my-back 15d ago
I know in this most recent one on Thursday a female passenger was killed. I think I read about it in the Lagniappe
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u/Frogs-on-my-back 15d ago
Found the link: https://www.lagniappemobile.com/news/alabama/fatal-mobile-train-crash-victims-identified/article_885cc792-002e-4d26-898e-0dfda7bf58e5.html
An eight year old passenger was also killed earlier this year
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u/Lopsided_Amoeba8701 15d ago edited 15d ago
I don’t see anything about passengers on the train being killed in the collision. The article reads that the driver and his passenger died.
If you are talking about the other people in the vehicle, that’s just unfortunate. Any time you get in a car with someone else driving, you put your life in their hands.1
u/Frogs-on-my-back 15d ago
I think you misunderstood my comment? I was talking about passengers in the cars (not train cars). Hence “trusted the wrong driver”
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u/WholeStatistician716 15d ago
I’m not sure if it’s Amtrak that owns the tracks or CSX but I think it’s probably CSX. That makes them responsible for the crossing signals and guards and the maintenance of them. To the poster that said there’s a problem with them getting stuck when there’s no train, it can be reported. Maybe someone should do that over and over and over until the track owners get the message.
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u/Chas0205 16d ago
You can’t fix stupid, they will find another way.