A new railway safety awareness campaign is reminding Londoners to look and listen before crossing train tracks in the city.
City officials launched the new decal-based initiative Tuesday at the Canadian Pacific Railway crossing on Richmond Street, south of Piccadilly St. That is where yellow, diamond-shaped decals featuring a black train silhouette have been installed on the sidewalk on both sides of the tracks telling those approaching the crossing to "Look. Listen. Live."
The railway crossing safety-awareness program was created by Operation Lifesaver. The non-profit organization dedicated to promoting rail safety in Canada partnered with the city and HUB Surface Systems to bring the decals to London.
"You can't miss them," said Operation Lifesaver’s National Director Sarah Mayes. "We want people when they are approaching railway crossings to slow down, look in both directions, listen for on-coming trains and to make sure they are safe and behaving in a way that is safe around tracks and trains."
London is the second city in the country, after Vancouver, to launch the safety campaign. Four other cities in Canada are expected to follow suit before the end of the year.
The decals will also be installed at the Rectory St. and Colborne St. Canadian National Railway crossings, south of York St. in the coming weeks. Those three spots were selected for the decal program after a safety assessment of every rail crossing in the city was completed, said Doug MacRae, the city's director of roads and transportation.
"Based on the behaviours that we observed and the number of pedestrians, those three were identified as having potential benefits for an additional education campaign," said MacRae.
The decals are just part of London's overall strategy for keeping pedestrians safe when crossing the tracks.
"We have a multi-year program that targets rail crossings that makes sure the sidewalks are smooth, all signage and pavement markings are in place, and also make sure that all the sight lines to the warning devices are clear," noted MacRae. "The decals are one part of a bigger solution puzzle."
The launch of the railway safety awareness campaign coincides with National Rail Safety week, which continues through Saturday.
Figures show more than 100 people across the country are seriously injured or killed at railway crossings each year.
For more information about rail safety in London click here.