   
Stop, look and listen at railroad crossings
By MONICA HOOPER
LOG CABIN STAFF WRITER
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 Most railroad crossings in Conway and Faulkner County are marked by red flashing lights and gates to remind drivers to stop, look and listen. However some crossings lack the bells and whistles.
In the past, "there have been people injured and killed at the Independence Street crossing," Ronnie Hall, city engineer for the City of Conway said. He added that there had been an injury at the Prairie Street crossing too.
On Saturday a Conway man sustained multiple injuries to his back and shoulders when the trash truck he was driving was hit by a train at the railroad crossing at the sanitation department which is not marked with gates or red lights. Those traveling in the area of Industrial Park will encounter railroad crossings that do not have lights, "but those are slow speed switch engines, those aren't high speed railroad tracks," Hall said.
In downtown Conway, "there is a plan that may close the Davis Street crossing in exchange for redoing College Avenue where it would cross north of the existing College Avenue crossing," Hall said. "There's a realignment of College Avenue that's anticipated. I think in that project Davis Street will be closed," Hall said. "And, of course, there is a railroad overpass at the Salem Road railroad crossing that hopefully will be started next year."
According to Operation Lifesaver's Web site, some low traffic areas do not have gates and lights. For instance, in Conway, railroad crossings at Davis and Independence street are simply marked by crossbuck a white cross that says "railroad crossing" whereas higher traffic areas such as the intersection at Tyler Street and Donaghey Avenue in Conway have red flashing lights and gates along with crossbucks.
In areas such as Mayflower, most of the railroad crossings are only marked by stop signs and crossbucks.
"The only one in the city that has the lights and the gates is the 89 North crossing. Gandy Road just has the crossbucks and there are stop signs on either side of the railroad," Mayflower Chief of Police Paul Curtis said.
While most people have enough common sense to respect railroad crossings, there are penalties for those who don't.
"If I catch you going around the crossings and I can get to you, you're probably going to get cited for it," Curtis said. "I'd rather give you a ticket for going around the crossing arms than to work the accident and tell your family that you're not with us anymore."
(Staff writer Monica Hooper can be reached by e-mail at monica.hooper@thecabin.net or by phone at 505-1266. Send us your news at www.thecabin.net/submit)
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