WANTED: Boy Scouts

On Saturday, April 17, OCTA is partnering with Knott's Berry Farm to offer Boy Scouts an opportunity to earn their Railroading Merit Badge at Knott's Berry Farm while learning about rail safety.

Scouts will participate in various activities that will fulfill the Railroading Merit Badge requirements, including riding on the Calico Railroad throughout the park, visiting the historical railroad cars of The Edna and The Durango and learning from OCTA about how to be rail safe.

Young men are statistically more likely to engage in dangerous behaviors around train tracks, so…this is a great opportunity for us to educate pre-teen and teenage boys about rail safety!

If you are a Troop leader or your son is a Boy Scout, please join us at the Railroading Merit Badge Day. Registration is available to the first 500 participants (including guardians and Troop leaders).

Cost is $32.50 and includes:

• Merit badge activites
  
• Delicious box lunch
  
• All-day admissiont to Knott's Berry Farm

Registration ends April 9 or when 500 participants register.

Check out our flier with additional information too!

Be Rail Safe Team & Swallows Swoop into San Juan Capistrano

More than 5,000 people participated in the 52nd annual Swallows Day Festival in San Juan Capsitrano this past weekend. OCTA’s Be Rail Safe team also was there sharing tips with children and adults on how to be safe around train tracks.

Getting out into the community and meeting people face to face is definitely one of the best parts of my job! I feel like I’m making a difference when I surprise someone by informing them that train tracks are private property and pedestrian do not have the right of way.

It was a super hot weekend down in San Juan Capistrano but our participation at the festival was a huge success. We definitely don't have a boring information booth..like some out there...it's actually really exciting to see the kids play with the prize wheel while adults and parents take our rail safety survey!

Don’t be sad if you missed us in SJC, there’s still another chance to check us out. We’ll be hosting a booth at Railroad Days in Brea on Saturday, May 1, 2010. Hope to see you there!

OC's Railroad Crossing Safety Enhancement Project

Construction crews, dust and road detours are all part of OCTA’s effort to enhance safety at more than 50 railroad crossings throughout Orange County.

OCTA’s board of directors approved the $70 million project to enhance safety for drivers and pedestrians and provide the opportunity for cities to apply to the Federal Railroad Administration for a quiet zone to help enhance the quality of life for residents along the rail corridor. A quiet zone is an area along the train tracks where trains do not need to routinely sound their horns unless of an emergency on the tracks.

Construction began in August 2009 and is underway in the cities of Orange and Anaheim. Some safety enhancements include raised medians in the middle of the road and additional crossing gate arms for drivers and pedestrians to discourage them from going around lowered gates that allow for a train to pass.

The OC Register just posted an online story about our project – it’s a must read! There’s also a lot of information on the OCTA web page including a construction schedule. I encourage you to sign up to receive weekly e-updates about construction in your neighborhood and to see if your daily commute may be impacted by our construction work.

It's Official, I'm Operation Lifesaver Certified

Operation Lifesaver is a nationwide rail safety awareness organization dedicated to keeping your communities safe around train tracks – like me! I first learned about this organization when I was assigned the rail safety program in Orange County. I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with OL on a few events in the past and have learned firsthand that the volunteers involved with the organization are passionate about saving lives.

Anyone can become an Operation Lifesaver volunteer; all you need to do is contact your state coordinator for more information. But, if you want to go above and beyond to become a presenter, you must get certified. First you must go through a one-day training to learn about the history of Operation Lifesaver, its mission and essential rail safety tips. Once you’ve completed the training, you must provide a 10-minute presentation to a small group of 2 or more people that is observed by an OL staff member. If you pass then you’re certified, and you can provide rail safety presentations to members of your community on behalf of Operation Lifesaver.














Bill Schertle, of Orange, Calif., is the volunteer who observed my presentation and I passed with flying colors! He’s a great mentor and he really knows his rail safety materials. I’m more ready than ever to teach you and your community tips to be safe around train tracks. Operation Lifesaver truly is a wonderful organization to be affiliated with and I’m happy to be officially part of the OL family.

Pedestrian Killed by Train in Riverside

A young man was killed Wednesday night in Riverside as he and his friends walked along the train tracks and he was struck by a freight train.

This is honestly so sad and it breaks my heart. My thoughts and prayers go out to this young man's family.

Although I do not know the details of this tragic incident, please visit Press Enterprise for the full story, I do know that we can all learn something from this - stay off the tracks!

We have no business or place being on or near railroad tracks, it's that simple. Train tracks are private property and if we are on or near them, it's considered trespassing and is illegal. Oh and more importantly, it's DANGEROUS!

I've seen people listening to music on their iPods as they walk/jog/run on the tracks and it boggles my mind. A train can come through at anytime and up to 80 miles per hour - get off the tracks folks!

The young man who died didn't have to, his death was preventable. I hope that we can all learn something from this tragic incident, please pass this message on to your family and friends.

What is a Railroad Crossing?

I know it sounds silly, but hundreds of us drive through these crossings every day and we don’t even realize it.

A railroad crossing is an intersection where the train tracks cross the road that we drive on. We, as drivers and pedestrians, share the same space at this intersection.

Railroad crossings are equipped with paving markings, warning signs, flashing lights, bells & gate arms. Each one of these devices has a function and is there to warn us that we’re approaching a railroad crossing and how we can exercise safe behavior at these locations. Don’t worry, future blog posts will explain what the different functions mean.

So the next time you’re out and about, be aware that you may be approaching a railroad crossing. And if you’re stuck waiting for the train to pass, pay attention to the gates coming down. They are there to “close” off the intersection or railroad crossing that we as drivers are approaching so that we can safely allow for the train to pass.

Hello Orange County

Hi! I'm Sarah Swensson and I work for the Orange County Transportation Authority, commonly known as OCTA. I am the community outreach coordinator for the countywide railroad safety crossing public awareness program.

Rail safety awareness started out as a standard outreach program with targeted audiences, but it honestly has now become my passion and something I am dedicated to. I’m out in the community at festivals and fairs, making presentations to different groups and sharing rail safety messages with people who want to learn and make a difference, it’s really a great job!

Like most people, I can get impatient while waiting for a train to pass...it always seems to happen when I'm running late. But those few minutes of waiting at a railroad crossing can save my life. The gates are down for a reason and the warning signs and train horns really do help to keep us alive.

This is officially my first blog post ever =) and I’m super excited to use this as a communications tool to reach you and other audiences to discuss rail related topics – I’ve become a huge rail fan too so feel free to contact me if you want to just talk trains! Please don't think this is a one-way blog either. I welcome your comments and suggestions on how we can raise rail safety awareness in Orange County and save lives.