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Show NSL wants trains off intersections By JUDY JENSEN Asst. Managing Editor NORTH SALT LAKE "This is the only place we're having problems," a Union Pacific attorney told the City Council during dur-ing a meeting to air complaints that trains excessively block North Salt Lake intersections. J. Clare Williams, attorney for UP, and A Hassler, manager of terminal operations for the railroad, met with the council to try to find a solution to the problem created on Center Street when trains block the intersection. The city contends the railroad has made no effort to keep the intersection intersec-tion clear. State law requires trains to clear crossings within five minutes. Numerous citations issued by the police department, and the city's recent action to increase the minimum fine to $500 for every citation has not, in the city council's opinion, alleviated the problem. "You were here a year ago, and said you'd do anything to help solve the safety problem we have," said Councilman Stuart Hatch. He explained ex-plained the city's fire station is east of the crossing in question, and the industrial park, which houses numerous nu-merous large businesses, is west of the crossing. "I'd like to know what improvements im-provements or changes you've made in the last year," Hatch said "A representative of your company com-pany said what difference does it make if it's just a few minutes. Here it's not just a few minutes. It's a half hour or an hour," said Councilman Coun-cilman Lee Twitchell. He reminded the railroad representatives of an accident that occurred in 1989 on the crossing. "Two men were killed when the crossing arms were broken and they went around them. You said a year ago when you were here there would be funds set aside for changes and you'd cooperate. It seems you cooperate by coming here, saying you'll do something and then going away," Twitchell said. Trains from all directions feed into the north train yard causing southbound trains to back up in the North Salt Lake area. Twitchell suggested Union Pacific build a siding for trains when there are delays due to the busy train yard. "One of the problems we have is that no one calls us and asks us to move the trains," Williams said. "We'd move them right away if someone called," Hassler said. The council disagreed. "I've been traveling that road for years between 6:30 and 7 a.m., and the tracks are often blocked," said Councilman Byron B erven. "On the morning of the bad accident in the fog where several people were killed in December, the tracks were blocked for at least 20 minutes," he said. Berven added the city ordinance requires a hand-held signal be displayed by a railroad employee if the train is going to block an intersection in-tersection longer than 5 minutes. "That is so impractical. There's no way we could get someone off the train with a hand-held signal. I don't want this to become confrontational," confron-tational," said Williams, "but the state ordinance pre-empts the city ordinance," he said. City attorney Kent Christiansen told Williams the city ordinance is less restrictive than the state or-dinance. or-dinance. "If you block the crossing for longer than five minutes, with the state ordinance you've broken the law. With ours, if you're going to be there longer than five minutes you don t break the law if you provide pro-vide a hand-held signal," he said. Hassler said some trains that are slow-moving block the crossing longer than five minutes. "We don't issue citations to moving trains," city aaninistrator Collin Wood said Berven suggested Union Pacific install a "relay and timer to measure how long the crossing arms are down. That way we'll all know how long the crossing is blocked." Twitchell asked why, when the yard is congested, trains could not be stopped on the side track that now exists near West Bountiful. "We feel like the poodle next door that's barking and being ignored ig-nored The present circumstances aren't acceptable. We want to see some changes," Twitchell said. |