Drivers fail rail crossing test in Arlington Hts.

You'd think after years of watching pedestrians and drivers ignore warning gates and bells at railroad crossings, Michael Meyer would be a little jaded.

Yet the Union Pacific Railroad public safety officer remains optimistic that one bright, shining day he'll encounter a scofflaw-free zone.

"Our goal is to find no one," said Meyer, who recently spent the day at the Arlington Heights Metra station looking for gate crushers. Forty-two police officers joined the enforcement effort at train stations along the UP line from Park Ridge to Woodstock.

How law-abiding were we?

Not so great, it turns out. Police handed out 82 citations and 27 warnings for a smorgasbord of violations.

"It's a challenging number, and that's why we're out there," Meyer said.

Violations ranged from cars parking on the tracks, people driving around the lowered gates, and pedestrians blithely ignoring all warning devices.

"There's numerous excuses," Meyer said.

What the public doesn't realize is that on the UP lines, there are about 70 to 80 trains a day, some traveling at speeds of up to 70 mph.

"People don't understand that trains can go both ways and one train can hide a second train," Meyer emphasized.

If that doesn't convince rail-crossing mavericks out there, how about a few statistics?

According to the Federal Railroad Administration, 65 percent of all crashes in Illinois occur when flashing lights or gates have been activated. The state had 28 fatalities at grade crossings in 2007.

the UP conducts its surveillance exercise twice a year and officials like to combine a carrot with the stick.

"We'll reward people for doing things properly," Meyer said.

Dear me

Aah fall. The crisp air. The jack o'lanterns. The myriad hues of the leaves as they gently glide to the ground. The 200-pound deer leaping in front of the car.

It's autumn and the deer are feeling frisky. Think I'm kidding? The top county in Illinois for deer-vehicle collisions is Cook, with the dubious honor of 995 accidents in 2007. Other top contenders were Will County with 572, Lake with 533 and Kane with 496.

From now through December, deer are thinking about two things - mating and finding food, state officials caution. Their minds aren't focused on traffic.

To avoid disaster, here are a few pointers.

• Deer are at their most active around dawn and dusk.

• One deer on the road may mean more nearby.

• Try to avoid swerving because it could make you lose control of your vehicle or come into contact with other traffic.

Here's a reverse commute

Ever since Illinois instituted free rides on Metra, Pace and the CTA for people 65 and over, there have been complaints about well-heeled seniors cruising to Ravinia without paying while the rest of us pony up.

And the program didn't exactly start off on the right foot when Gov. Rod Blagojevich dangled it in front of the General Assembly as the price to pay for his going along with a sales tax increase to bail out mass transit.

Just recently, the RTA reported that the program has cost about $11.9 million in lost revenues so far.

The bad vibe must have gotten to a public-spirited senior who wrote the following to RTA Chairman Jim Reilly in September.

"Dear Mr. Reilly," the letter stated. "I wish to make a contribution to the RTA because it needs help and I benefit from the seniors ride free program." Enclosed was a $100 check.

The kicker is, as Reilly explained, "we're not a charitable organization, so we had to return the check."

Mailbag

• Kathleen from Buffalo Grove is angsting over construction on Arlington Heights Road between Rand Road and University Drive. Cook County construction experts promise it'll be wrapped up in mid-November.

• Pam from Schaumburg complains of a "hellish commute" in her town, caused by endless road work on the east-west arteries. Village Public Works Director Steve Weinberg promises better days ahead. Wise Road construction will wrap up before Thanksgiving. The Schaumburg/Roselle Road intersection should be finished Nov. 29. And Golf Road repaving is 100 percent done.

Incoming

• Metra holds numerous budget hearings around the county from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Clarendon Hills Village Hall, Arlington Heights Village Hall and Woodstock City Hall. The fun resumes at the same times Thursday at the Geneva City Hall and Grayslake Village Hall.

• The Illinois tollway holds the first of numerous hearings on its carpool lanes and interchange improvements from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday at the NIU Hoffman Estates Campus.

• Don't forget this weekend means lanes closures by the Illinois Department of Transportation at Route 41 and Grand Avenue in Gurnee for interchange improvements.