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Program gives Fresno City College a lesson in rail safety

Against a backdrop of Weldon Avenue pedestrians illegally crossing in front of speeding Amtrak trains, a nationwide rail-safety organization Tuesday displayed new television ads and other materials intended to promote caution around railroad tracks.

"About every two hours in the United States, a person or vehicle is struck by a train," said Eric Jacobsen, president of California Operation Lifesaver, a nonprofit organization sponsored by the railroads, government agencies and others.

Many of those accidents could be avoided if drivers and pedestrians merely followed laws requiring them to obey signals at railroad crossings and stay off the tracks between crossings, Jacobsen said.

From the look of things, that is a lesson that many Fresno City College students haven't learned.

While Jacobsen and others were meeting with reporters where the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad crosses Weldon Avenue on the college's campus, three trains passed. Before each, a handful of students ignored the flashing lights and crossed the tracks after the gates had come down.

"See those people walking through there? That's illegal," said Lori Gramberg, a Fresno police officer who works on the department's rail-safety program, as three people crossed in front of a northbound Amtrak.

If ticketed, those pedestrians could be fined $103 or more, and drivers who ignore the signals or drive around the gates risk a $271 fine, Amtrak detective James J. Martino said.

Less than three weeks ago, a 19-year-old Fresno woman was injured when she tried to run across the tracks in front of an Amtrak train on the City College campus and was knocked to the ground when the train struck her backpack.

"Even though we are always in a hurry, no one should ever take a shortcut," Jacobsen warned.

To get that message across, Operation Lifesaver has produced a series of new television public-service announcements, which it unveiled Valentine's Day. The organization chose that day because of the campaign's theme -- that friends and family members also can be harmed when a driver or pedestrian uses poor judgment.

"The ads emphasize that not only can you be hurt, but someone you love can be hurt if you make the decision to take a shortcut or to go around the gates," Jacobsen said.

City College President Daniel Larios said students are receiving the message during orientation and via various publications.

"What we're trying to do is make our students aware of the danger of competing with a train," Larios said.

As Larios finished speaking, the gates came down. There was a man walking alongside a young child in a toy car. Both stopped -- inside the gates -- and watched as the southbound train approached.

Several Operation Lifesaver officials hurried over to shoo them away from the tracks.

The reporter can be reached at rclemings@fresnobee.com or 441- 6371.