Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1910-09-08

policy Of the state Of Vermont to abolish
railroad grade crossings. The law re-
quires all railroads to abolish at least one
each year for every so miles Of its track
age, which will mean in time the extinc-
tion Of them all. He asked Randolph to
face the problem squarely. Here are
three very dangerous crossings-"death-
traps" he called them-that must In the
end 60. Isn't ii better to 60 about 1t o
while the matter is up and be rid OF them
for all time than to put on a temporary
plaster that will only mitigate, and won't
cure, the trouble? The commission is
not welded to any particular scheme.
The railroad has proposed something best
suited for itself. Now let Randolph get
together and say how ii wants the thing
done. Have a competent engineer devise
a practical scheme that satisfies your peo-
pie and submit it. Randolph has taken
the lead In common sense methods OF
uniting and reducing the number OF
churches; let It work out the crossing
problem. The tenor OF Mr.. Redmond's
remarks, as we'll IS those OF other mem
bers OF the commission in conversation,
was that the three crossings would have
to go and the most practical and most
satisfactory scheme promising that end
would finally be adopted.
Adjournment was taken until the last
Tuesday in December.
The Public Service commission is COM
posed Of gentlemen OF a high sense OF
public honor who will do their duty as
they see it. It is to be hoped, though,
that before they take the final step in
this matter they will view the question
in all its bearings and bring their calm
judgment upon it. It is true the policy
of the state is to remove the grade cross
ings and that ultimately, il the law is fol-
lowed and not changed, our three will
have to go with the rest. But il is also
true that the intent Of the law was and IS
to remove first those crossings that are
most dangerous to the public, and whose
removal would cause relatively the least
public injury. II is ever conceivable that
conditions might exist where II would be
practically impossible to abolish a cross
ing, or where the loss by so doing would
so far outweigh the gain as to make 1t
most IN Use. II there are such crossings,
would it not be better to delay their at
tempted removal until others more dan
gerous, or whose removal entails less, are
taken care OF, when it is possible that the
Law itself and the policy Of the state may
change to a changed sentiment which has
been satisfied with the progress made,
and convinced that further removals
would do more harm than benefit ? While
so many grade crossings exist in this and
other localities whose removal woul be
so easy and the relative benefit so much
greater, is it not unwise to require what
means so much to Randolph, and which
should come, in the natural order, a great
deal later in the program of complete re-
moval, il it finally comes This is the
point that appeals especially to Us here.
Meanwhile as citizens we ask for the
removal Of the School street crossing and
are ready to bear our part Of the cost.
Not unmindtul OF the dangers OF the Main
and Pleasant street crossings, which are
more to those OF as who live on the High
thar to others, we ask greater pro-
lection in the way Of gates or hagmen.
These means are deemed sufficient for
cities and towns much larger thar Ran
dolph; they ought to suffice here. II the
railroad would emove its freight depot
and consequent shifting away from these
crossings, which might easily be done, the
danger would be greatly reduced.
All grade crossings are dangerous, oil
course. but these not especially 80.
THERE HAS NEVER YET BEEN a
SINGLE FATAL OR SERIOUS ACCI-
DENT AT ETHER OF THESE CROSS
INGs, THAT ANYONE CAN RECALL,
one free to judge whether their
abolition and the substitution OF a distant
with its sharp approaches,
heavy grades and congestion of travel,
would not actually promote danger, rath-
er than lessen it-a point that the COM
mission may well consider. Through THIS
sinvle underpass with a width no more
than an ordinary bridge would have to go
ali the team and automobile trat1c That
passes through Randolph village on its
way from town to town, or from distant
points. Through it would have to go all
ne local teaming and foot travel that
masses between the two nearly equal parts
the village lying on opposite SIDES OF
he track. Many hundred teams and au-
would daily crowd into and through
this tunnel, thrown q long distance out
Of their way by it, in a hurry to make up
he tint lost. That many accidents woulo
result is bound to follow. In the end we
find that in abolishing the cross
ings and adopting the underpass we lad
reduced instead of increased the element
~ npblic safety. II takes three busy
to handle the traffic now that
II "a ~nToposed to crowd around down
Ibis narrow tunnel. Nor will the
establishment of this underpass draw to
n ali the foot travel and thus remove all
danger. Unless the railroad tracks are
banked BY impenetrable iencesa all through
ne village, people will End their way
across by more convenient routes than the
distant underpass and accidents viii stu
result. Add It alI up, and shall we not be