Montreal residents want rail crossing fast-tracked

Written by jrood

Despite hefty fines and warnings from Canadian Pacific Railway, Mile End and Rosemont residents are taking matters -and pliers -into their own hands as they wait for the city, the two boroughs and the railway to decide on building a pedestrian level crossing on the railroad tracks separating the two neighborhoods, The Gazette reports.

Instead of using the
Rosemont viaduct or an underpass along St. Denis St. or Christophe Colomb Ave.,
an estimated 200 to 300 pedestrians and cyclists each day sneak through holes
cut into the fences that run along the railroad to cross the tracks. When a
hole is patched up by the railway company, a new one mysteriously appears
nearby a few days later.

"(Within) a week,
some-one’s taken matters into their own pliers," said Mark, who spoke on
the condition that his last name not be used, as he was walking his bike over
the tracks to get onto the bicycle path near Clark St. He said he’s never had
to wait very long for a new hole to be cut if another one is closed, even though
he said he has no idea who makes them.

Along the stretch of
tracks between Park and Christophe Colomb Aves., some gaps in the chain-link
are neatly clipped, while some others are created by peeling back sections of
the fence. Some holes are hidden behind trees or bushes, while others are in
plain view.

A bilingual Facebook
group "Passages sur la voie ferree -Ways to cross the train tracks,"
with more than 800 members, lets users share information about openings in the
fences. It even provides an interactive Google map that can be updated as
openings are made or closed.

"From a legal point
of view, we don’t recommend people (trespass) because it’s risky. They can get
hurt. … But at the same time, if these improvised passages exist then it means
there’s a need (that has been) expressed over years by residents," said
Francois Croteau, the mayor of Rosemont-La Petite Patrie.

At least 650 people
signed a petition launched in mid-June demanding level crossings, and asking
CPR to stop ticketing trespassers and to decriminalize crossing over the
tracks. Trespassers face fines of close to $150 if they’re caught by CPR
security guards. In the first half of 2010, more than 120 people were fined or
warned for trespassing.

For years, the city and
the two boroughs have discussed building some kind of crossing for pedestrians
along the stretch of railway to make it easier to access Rosemont metro station
and move from one neighborhood to the other without taking a long detour under
or over the tracks. Years ago, the city was considering a pedestrian bridge,
said Richard Ryan, councilor for Plateau-Mont Royal. A level crossing, which
would involve filling in a section of the tracks to make it flat, is cheaper
and takes up less room, Ryan said.

The directors of both
boroughs as well as the director of the city of Montreal approached CPR with a
formal request to negotiate this past May, Croteau said. "I have no idea
how long it will take, but at least (starting the negotiations) is
positive," he said. Croteau said he expects to have an update on the talks
in the fall.

Ryan said the ideal spot
for a level crossing would be at Henri Julien Ave., where many pedestrians pass
through to get to Rosemont metro station and the businesses in Mile End. The
best solution would be to have multiple crossings, he said, but for now, the
boroughs, the city and CPR will try to negotiate for one, he said.

People who regularly
cross the tracks illegally said it wastes time and it’s unpleasant to use the
viaduct or the underpasses, even if they are safer.

"I much prefer going
over the tracks," said James Galwey, who lives just south of the train
tracks, near Bernard St. W. and Esplanade Ave. Accessing the designated
underpasses can be dangerous sometimes, he said, because there are blind
corners and motorists can’t spot the bikes. The underpasses are damp and
smelly, too, he said. Instead, the railway tracks are in the open and
surrounded by trees and greenery.

However, just because
people routinely cut holes in the fences and cross the tracks in the same area
does not mean a pedestrian crossing would be safe there, said Breanne Feigel, a
spokesperson for CPR. Any solution would have to respect Transport Canada’s
Rail Safety Act, she said, and carefully weigh the needs of the community
against the risk of having pedestrians near a busy train corridor.

"This is why, often,
pedestrian overpasses are recommended instead of ground level crossings,"
Feigel said.

Mark said he doesn’t
think it’s dangerous to cross the train tracks, even though cargo trains still
run along them, because they move slowly and don’t come frequently. Statistics
on the number of deaths or accidents along this stretch of railway were not
available; however, Feigel said seven people were killed and three were seriously
injured in Quebec last year while trespassing on railway property.

Level crossings on
railway tracks are more common in the suburbs outside Montreal, Ryan said, but
there are a handful in the city, including one in St. Henri that crosses
Canadian National Railway tracks, and one near Jarry Park on CPR property.

As the neighborhood
around Rosemont metro develops, Croteau said, the need for safe crossings for
pedestrians and bikes would continue to grow as well.

The letters O-U-V-E-R-T
and about 30 faded signs still cling to the fence along the path where it meets
Henri Julien Ave. Residents staged a protest there in June to call for an
official opening onto the tracks. An old worn-out rug on the other side of the
fence suggests this used to be a crossing point.

"They’re like
natural passageways," said Victor Locuratolo, who lives in Little Italy
and contributes drawings to the Facebook group. "People are attracted to
the peacefulness," he said.

People will continue to
make holes in the fence and trespass illegally, he said, because they want it
to be a public space. "Most people (trespass) to reappropriate themselves
of the city," he said.

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