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Grade crossing incidents are a major concern for any railroad company. For several years, WSOR president Bill Gardner personally spearheaded an effort to install stop or yield signs at every passive (non-signaled) grade crossing on the WSOR system. On his own time, he made countless presentations to local governments to state the case for stop sign installation. The goal was to significantly reduce grade crossing incidents and improve public awareness of the dangers associated with grade crossings.
Mr. Gardner’s successful efforts have had a state and national impact. In 2006, the state of Wisconsin enacted law that mandates installation of yield signs at all passive highway-rail crossings. Three years later in 2009, the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, a part of the Federal Register, mandated the display of yield or stop signs along with standard crossbucks at all passive highway-rail crossings. The Federal Highway Administration noted that “while the crossbuck sign is in fact a regulatory sign that requires vehicles to yield to trains and stop if necessary, recent research indicates insufficient road user understanding of and compliance with that regulatory requirement when just the crossbuck sign is present at passive crossings.”
WSOR’s progressive action to improve public safety has had a statewide and national impact that will save lives now and in the future.
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