I have spent forty years in this business, and never have I seen a grade crossing so restricted in its visibility. There is NOT sufficient visibility. There isn't ANY visibility actually, unless you stick your head inside the sound wall. Now just imagine how a school bus driver is supposed to stop and look down the track before proceeding, when a sufficient distance can't even be seen when standing at the wall - let alone 20 feet back in the driver's chair. It can't be done here - period.

But I have been there, on the ground at the site. If you did put your head just past the sound wall to where you could see a sufficient distance, even with your body up against the wall - you are still likely to get hit. The track is that close. There is not even a place for a track worker to stand aside as a train goes by, without getting hit, even with his back up against the wall. Anybody anywhere between those walls WILL DIE - period.

Note that I spent the first 15 years of my carrier working everyday on the trackway; and 25 more as a signal designer - safe spaces to stand as trains pass, are critical to survival; especially in transit environments where they are often in very short supply, even while trains come much more often and more suddenly. Well, I may be used to it and sensitive to the safety challenges, but the general public is not going to be so aware. The personnel clearances between those sound walls are not even safe for professionals, let alone for the less aware public at such a blind crossing. It IS profoundly irresponsible of public officials to foist such a condition upon the public; that would be dangerous even to a seasoned professional.

The heartless attitude often exhibited here when every reasonable protection has actually been afforded, but still ignored; is one thing. But to maintain the heartlessness even when the most important protection of all (visibility from a safe position) has not been provided, -- is utterly inexcusable! Those sound walls must come down - period.

Very few would step in front a train they could see coming (even stupidly) - and that little girl could have seen that train, except for those ridiculous sound walls. And that motorman could have blown his horn, if he could have seen her standing so close. But the sound wall hid her from him. That man will be scarred for life - even though he is guiltless. What a horrible mess - or does the heartlessness obscure that too.

Besides, I would like to think that we are civilized to some degree; that the [so-called 'darwinian'] law of the jungle has thus been transcended by us civilized human beings - at least a little bit; that we would willingly try to protect each other from the hazards each of our activities present - at least to some reasonable degree.

Or maybe we really aren't that civilized after all.

OPB