Montreal Urban Community (MUC) police will cracking down on students who cross the railway tracks while the gates are down at the Notre Dame de Grace (N.D.G.) train stop.
The N.D.G. train stop on Elmhurst is near the Loyola campus, where Concordia students get off.
“We’re going to be handing out tickets very soon,” said Constable Marie Christine Nobert of the MUC station 9. “People have got to know how dangerous those crossings are.”
Nobert and other officers are going to begin by handing out warnings along the Elmhurst and Westminster level crossings this week. ” We will be getting serious next week.”
She is especially worried by the large student population in the area, since hundreds if not thousands of students cross the track every day. Pedestrians, especially students, are being warned not to cross the track when the warning devices are activated. She said the practice is against the law.
The cost of a traffic ticket can vary, she said, but a single Canadian Pacific Railroad ticket can cost someone $132 for a first offense.
She added that the police have been keeping a close eye on the tracks for the past few weeks and she could not believe how stupid some drivers could be. She described how one woman followed another car, bumper to bumper, onto the track only to be trapped in the middle of the crossing when the gates came down with a train only a short distance away.
Michel Spenard, a spokesman for Canadian Pacific, said that the company is very concerned about the safety of the two level crossings. “It’s not only the railroad’s problem. The city is implicated too.”
Spenard added that Concordia students were the worst offenders in crossing the tracks while the gates were down.
He discussed how the railroad was meeting with the city and others to discuss the problem, but he was quick to admit that there was no simple solution. Spenard added that at least 55 trains per working day pass through the stop.
Jeremy Searle, the area’s municipal councillor, thinks that the traffic has become a serious problem. “Safety is the big issue here. If Canadian Pacific is making money off that track, why don’t they hire full time guards to monitor their crossings.”
Searle hopes that no one will get hurt or even killed before something is done about the situation. He is also worried about the effect that the rail traffic will have upon the car traffic in the area because of the delays created at the crossings.
Spenard said that discussions are being held as to the possibility of moving the Elmhurst train station east of the level crossing towards West Broadway. He also admitted that such a move would take some time.
It is illegal to enter onto railway property and there could be fines of up to $10,000, which can be imposed upon guilty parties along with a prison sentence not exceeding one year.
The N.D.G. train stop on Elmhurst is near the Loyola campus, where Concordia students get off.
“We’re going to be handing out tickets very soon,” said Constable Marie Christine Nobert of the MUC station 9. “People have got to know how dangerous those crossings are.”
Nobert and other officers are going to begin by handing out warnings along the Elmhurst and Westminster level crossings this week. ” We will be getting serious next week.”
She is especially worried by the large student population in the area, since hundreds if not thousands of students cross the track every day. Pedestrians, especially students, are being warned not to cross the track when the warning devices are activated. She said the practice is against the law.
The cost of a traffic ticket can vary, she said, but a single Canadian Pacific Railroad ticket can cost someone $132 for a first offense.
She added that the police have been keeping a close eye on the tracks for the past few weeks and she could not believe how stupid some drivers could be. She described how one woman followed another car, bumper to bumper, onto the track only to be trapped in the middle of the crossing when the gates came down with a train only a short distance away.
Michel Spenard, a spokesman for Canadian Pacific, said that the company is very concerned about the safety of the two level crossings. “It’s not only the railroad’s problem. The city is implicated too.”
Spenard added that Concordia students were the worst offenders in crossing the tracks while the gates were down.
He discussed how the railroad was meeting with the city and others to discuss the problem, but he was quick to admit that there was no simple solution. Spenard added that at least 55 trains per working day pass through the stop.
Jeremy Searle, the area’s municipal councillor, thinks that the traffic has become a serious problem. “Safety is the big issue here. If Canadian Pacific is making money off that track, why don’t they hire full time guards to monitor their crossings.”
Searle hopes that no one will get hurt or even killed before something is done about the situation. He is also worried about the effect that the rail traffic will have upon the car traffic in the area because of the delays created at the crossings.
Spenard said that discussions are being held as to the possibility of moving the Elmhurst train station east of the level crossing towards West Broadway. He also admitted that such a move would take some time.
It is illegal to enter onto railway property and there could be fines of up to $10,000, which can be imposed upon guilty parties along with a prison sentence not exceeding one year.
