John Kinchsular stands by a new stop sign at Sarnia's St. Andrew St. rail crossing. February, 2018 (Photo submitted to BlackburnNews Sarnia)John Kinchsular stands by a new stop sign at Sarnia's St. Andrew St. rail crossing. February, 2018 (Photo submitted to BlackburnNews Sarnia)
Sarnia

Sign Of Discontent

A Sarnia man's quest to prove a ticket he received from CN Police was issued illegally -- has paid off.

John Kinchsular was ticketed February 13, for not stopping at a new stop sign at the St. Andrew St. rail crossing, just east of Vidal St.

He says he drives the route almost daily, so it caught him off-guard.

"I was surprised at what I was ticketed for, because at first when he told me it was at the track I didn't realize what track he was talking about because there is two that go across that road," says Kinchsular. "When I drove back the second time to have a look at it, that's when I realized what he was talking about and I've got to say, I didn't see that one at all."

Kinchsular says the more he looked at the sign, the more he realized something wasn't right.

So, he contacted the city and ended up getting the answer he was looking for.

City Engineer Mike Berkvens confirmed tickets had been issued before proper bylaws were passed.

"The city received a letter from Transport Canada of a concern that this crossing wasn't up to their requirements for protection," says Berkvens. "They ordered us to install stop signs for the crossing. The staff put the signs up immediately, as requested by Transport Canada, and were in the process of bringing it to council for a bylaw."

Berkvens says the most significant issue identified was sightline concerns at the crossing, due to existing buildings.

"We reached out to CN Police and in the interim, they are going to stop ticketing and give out warnings in that area."

Berkvens says the municipal prosecutor has also agreed to review tickets issued to date on a case by case basis if they are appealed.

He says staff hope to work with Transport Canada and CN on an alternative solution, that avoids the requirement for stop signs, yet still addresses sightline concerns.

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