Your article, “Rail fence to cost city less than expected,” (St. Albert Gazette, Nov. 28) simply confirms the insanity of this initiative. The railways abandoned fenced rail lines years ago because of maintenance costs and that they didn’t work.
The entire rail line won’t be fenced – just portions that see the most signs of trespass. So what happens to kids walking in through the gaps and getting caught when a train is passing? The fence will be six feet tall and not mountable – barbed wire topping. The focus on rail crossings close to commercial or traffic-congested sites makes sense. But $762,100 for fencing (sorry – now $464,500) makes no sense.
Better to spend the money on train safety programs in schools – like not walking on train tracks while texting and/or wearing earbuds. You can only deter jaywalking across roadways and trespassing on private property (rail lines) – you can’t prevent it.
So, if administration must be “seen” to be politically safety proactive, spend our tax dollars on education and public awareness – not on kilometres of useless fencing.
Ivan Hall, St. Albert
