Congressman
Henry E. Brown, Jr.

An oped in today's LA Daily News discusses the need to improve safety at the thousands of rail-highway grade crossings across the country.  In the recently passed Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008, Congressman Brown worked to get legislative language that would make developing and deploying new technology warning systems at these grade crossings a priority.  Specifically, Brown's language will get DOT focused on working with the private sector to develop new grade crossing safety technologies, such as systems that can warn a train miles away that a car is stuck on the tracks, allowing it time to stop before the crossing.  Brown also worked to add additional language that will give states and technology companies the legal protection necessary to install these systems at crossings, instead of simply keeping them in the lab. 

Read LA Daily News OPED: Grade-crossing deaths are true rail problem

Language from Rail Safety Improvement Act:

 

 

(a) Amendment- Subchapter II of chapter 201, as amended by section 204 of this division, is further amended by adding at the end the following:

`Sec. 20161. Fostering introduction of new technology to improve safety at highway-rail grade crossings

 

`(a) Findings-

 

`(1) Collisions between highway users and trains at highway-rail grade crossings continue to cause an unacceptable loss of life, serious personal injury, and property damage.

 

`(2) While elimination of at-grade crossings through consolidation of crossings and grade separations offers the greatest long-term promise for optimizing the safety and efficiency of the two modes of transportation, over 140,000 public grade crossings remain on the general rail system--approximately one for each route mile on the general rail system.

 

`(3) Conventional highway traffic control devices such as flashing lights and gates are often effective in warning motorists of a train's approach to an equipped crossing.

 

`(4) Since enactment of the Highway Safety Act of 1973, over $4,200,000,000 of Federal funding has been invested in safety improvements at highway-rail grade crossings, yet a majority of public highway-rail grade crossings are not yet equipped with active warning systems.

 

`(5) The emergence of new technologies presents opportunities for more effective and affordable warnings and safer passage of highway users and trains at remaining highway-rail grade crossings.

 

`(6) Implementation of new crossing safety technology will require extensive cooperation between highway authorities and railroad carriers.

 

`(7) Federal Railroad Administration regulations establishing performance standards for processor-based signal and train control systems provide a suitable framework for qualification of new or novel technology at highway-rail grade crossings, and the Federal Highway Administration's Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices provides an appropriate means of determining highway user interface with such new technology.

 

`(b) Policy- It is the policy of the United States to encourage the development of new technology that can prevent loss of life and injuries at highway-rail grade crossings. The Secretary of Transportation is designated to carry out this policy in consultation with States and necessary public and private entities.

 

`(c) Submission of New Technology Proposals- Railroad carriers and railroad suppliers may submit for review and approval to the Secretary such new technology designed to improve safety at highway-rail grade crossings. The Secretary shall approve by order the new technology designed to improve safety at highway-rail grade crossings in accordance with Federal Railroad Administration standards for the development and use of processor-based signal and train control systems and shall consider the effects on safety of highway-user interface with the new technology.

 

`(d) Effect of Secretarial Approval- If the Secretary approves by order new technology to provide warning to highway users at a highway-rail grade crossing and such technology is installed at a highway-rail grade crossing in accordance with the conditions of the approval, this determination preempts any State statute or regulation concerning the adequacy of the technology in providing warning at the crossing.'.

 

(b) Conforming Amendment- The chapter analysis for chapter 201, as amended by section 204 of this division, is further amended by inserting after the item relating to section 20160, the following:

 

`20161. Fostering introduction of new technology to improve safety at highway-rail grade crossings.'.

Posted by Brown Staff (10-06-2008, 12:47 PM) filed under Transportation

 

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