Tribune staff editorial

Closing off three streets in Albert Lea where railroad tracks cross the road may have come recommended by the department of transportation, but the city council made a good choice Monday when it decided to upgrade safety measures at some crossings but decline to create several new dead ends on the Albert Lea street map.

Tuesday, March 26, 2002

Closing off three streets in Albert Lea where railroad tracks cross the road may have come recommended by the department of transportation, but the city council made a good choice Monday when it decided to upgrade safety measures at some crossings but decline to create several new dead ends on the Albert Lea street map.

Simply put, the city already has some problematic street patterns, mostly because of Fountain Lake right in the middle of town, and also because of an unusually high number of railroad crossings. Removing even more continuity from the street grid would have made navigating the city more of an adventure, and would have been unnecessarily inconvenient for residents and businesses near the closures on Winter, Water and Washington.

This is not to say, however, that safety at railroad crossings is something to be taken lightly. MnDOT made its recommendations because it felt these three crossings, in particular, could be dangerous for drivers. That should give drivers who cross those three sets of tracks – as well as any in the city – good reason to pause and take a good look for trains when making their approach.

Albert Lea is a city with as many railroad crossings as Rochester, a much larger city. This puts an extra responsibility on drivers to make sure those crossings are respected.

The council’s vote Monday was really a vote of confidence in the city’s drivers. The city is trusting its residents to behave safely. It’s something for all of us to think about when we get behind the wheel.