Improving pedestrian safety at Grayslake’s railroad crossings

Grayslake residents have long lived with the reality that Canadian National freight trains divide our community. Three at-grade crossings bisect our town, affecting traffic, emergency response times and daily life.

For many years, community leaders, local governments, and residents have worked toward a grade separation at Route 120 and Illinois 83. While studies continue and alternatives are evaluated, the trains keep coming and the risks remain.

Today, however, I am increasingly concerned about another issue: pedestrian safety.

Recent tragedies in Grayslake and neighboring Mundelein have once again focused attention on the risks associated with railroad crossings and train movements in our communities. Regardless of the specific circumstances of these incidents, they serve as heartbreaking reminders that encounters involving trains often have devastating consequences.

Major infrastructure projects require planning, funding, and time. But some safety improvements do not require years of study. They require urgency and a commitment to preventing the next tragedy.

In Grayslake, two of our busiest pedestrian crossings deserve immediate attention. The Lake Street crossing serves residents accessing Central Park, nearby neighborhoods, and Grayslake Central High School. The Center Street crossing in downtown Grayslake also experiences significant pedestrian traffic. Both crossings traverse CN’s double-track mainline. Safety experts have long recognized that multiple-track crossings present additional risks because a second train can approach while a pedestrian’s attention is focused on the first. Given the volume of pedestrian traffic at these locations, enhanced protections deserve serious consideration. Unlike motorists, pedestrians are protected only by warning lights and signals, not by physical barriers that prevent them from entering the crossing when a train is approaching.

Many communities across the country have installed pedestrian gates and channelization systems that physically prevent or discourage pedestrians and bicyclists from entering crossings once warning signals are activated. These improvements are proven, effective safety measures designed specifically to reduce the risk of pedestrians entering the path of an oncoming train. Similar systems are already in use at railroad crossings throughout Illinois and across the nation, demonstrating that these improvements are practical, achievable, and effective.

Canadian National Railway, the Village of Grayslake, and the Illinois Commerce Commission should move forward with installing pedestrian crossing gates and other enhanced safety measures at the Center Street and Lake Street crossings as quickly as possible. Our village has a strong track record of addressing community concerns and investing in public safety, and I believe it can play an important role in advancing implementation.

The Route 120 grade separation remains an important long-term priority, but protecting pedestrians at our existing crossings is something that can and should be addressed now.

The question before us is simple: If there are reasonable, proven safety measures available today, why would we wait until after another tragedy to install them?

The people of Grayslake have waited long enough for meaningful railroad safety improvements. We owe it to our children, our families, and everyone who uses these crossings to take every reasonable step to make them safer.

• Melinda Bush is a former Illinois state senator from Grayslake.