Motorists and pedestrians who ignore railroad crossing signals will be risking their money and their lives when police begin a weeklong crackdown, officials said Tuesday.
Members of the Burlington Northern and Downers Grove Police Departments will join forces between June 19 and June 23 to monitor traffic at all the railroad crossings in the village, said Downers Grove Police Department spokesman Lt. David Rechenmacher. Officers will issue $75 traffic tickets to anyone they spot trying to dodge railroad crossing gates or otherwise ignore railroad warning signals, Rechenmacher said.
There have been no vehicle crashes or pedestrian injuries involving trains in Downers Grove for the last year, he noted.
The two-year-old joint effort is part of Operation Lifesaver, a nationwide public education program dedicated to reducing crashes and injuries.
Officials said they hope the enforcement effort will remind people to exercise caution near railroad tracks all the time, not just when police threaten to ticket scofflaws, said a Burlington Northern spokesman.