Alburtis police issue caution for railroad crossings
Drivers should take care when using the West Penn Train Crossing after numerous incidents in the last few years, Alburtis police warned this week.
In a Facebook post referencing data from the Federal Railroad Administration, Alburtis police highlighted that nine incidents have occurred at that crossing in the last year, including train collisions and vehicles becoming disabled on the tracks.
Nineteen such incidents occurred between 2013 and 2020, the department said.
According to the FRA data, from January 2017 to February 2023, the West Penn Train Crossing ranked 7th in the state for most collision incidents at three, tying with three other counties.
“[There was] no desire to bring out unnecessary alarm [but] just to make people aware of the crossing,” Alburtis Police Chief Tony Alsleben said.
Also on the administration’s list is the former Orchard Street crossing in nearby Lower Macungie Township, which reported four incidents between 2013 and its closure in 2020.
The chief said that a common mistake officers have seen drivers make is turning too early when trying to cross over from West Penn Avenue to Front
Street, resulting in drivers actually going up the track and becoming stuck.
He added that he’d recommend residents to not become distracted by things such as GPS in order to avoid these issues. If a
driver encounters an issue while at a crossing, they should call the number on the nearby blue sign at each crossing so that a train can stop faster.
Warren Flatau, the FRA deputy director of public
affairs, concurred that the majority of rail crossing collisions are the result of driver behavior.
“Over half of all crossing collisions in the country occur at locations where there are flashing lights
and gates,” he said. “So we do know, unfortunately, that in many cases, people will disregard those active warning devices, and the result is often being struck by a train. The train always has the right of way.”
Flatau pointed to numerous safety tips for rail crossing, including making sure there is enough room on the other side of a track for a vehicle to cross over to, on the U.S. Department of Transportation website.