IT SHOULDN’T take the deaths of two people the end of August to once again expose the dangerous nature of having a very active CN rail yard run the length of Terrace, but it has.
And once again the debate is renewed of what can be done to either block access to the rail yard or find another way for a safe and reliable pedestrian crossing.
Fences can only impede or deter but never completely stop a determined person. A pedestrian overpass, which has figured in past city council election campaigns, is a far better answer.
That there is now only one safe pedestrian passage, the sidewalks on the Sande Overpass, and that it is located to the west along Keith, a considerable distance from one of the more populated neighbourhoods of the southside, needs correcting.
Of course, the matter then arises of who should pay. Terrace mayor Carol Leclerc has indicated the city might well be a contributor, looking (with the backing of Skeena NDP MP Nathan Cullen) to the federal and provincial governments for help.
CN? That’s a different story. It’s a remarkably stubborn company and can well make the argument it was here first and that the city then built itself on both sides of its tracks. Translation: Not our problem.
But there must be a soft spot somewhere inside CN. A concerted effort on the part of city council should result in a commitment by CN to construct a pedestrian overpass.
