Comments on: Major Pensacola Road Open Again After Train Derailment

By: Local reader

Local reader — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 20:22:11 +0000

Actually, David, that IS what the ordinance says. I researched this a while back and found that while they are covered by the feds, when they are within state, county and city jurisdictions, they must abide by whatever laws those entities have and they are to be enforced by the officers of those entities. It just seems that our local officers don’t want to enforce this.

I can just picture your brother doing that, lol.

By: David Huie Green

David Huie Green — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 19:28:54 +0000

REGARDING:
“BTW, there is a county ordinance that says that they cannot block an intersection for more than 15 out of every 20 minute period. They are supposed to uncouple and let traffic through for 5 minutes before recoupling and doing whatever they’re doing for another 15 minutes before sending traffic through again. They never do this.”

Actually the way you first wrote it, it looks like they can block for 15, let traffic flow for five, then repeat.

My brother and I got stuck in traffic in Albany, Georgia one time and he pointed out to a railroad worker that Albany had an ordinance forbidding blocking more than ten or fifteen minutes, whatever it was.

The worker shrugged and pointed out that trains are regulated by Interstate Commerce Commission, not by local governments.

I suspect this applies here too, not that I enjoy being held up either, but it looks like the feds are the ones to contact not the locals.

By: Local reader

Local reader — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:36:43 +0000

I’ve never been blocked there for more than a few minutes, so that intersections isn’t much of a priority.

Hwy 29 at Muscogee is a HUGE problem!! I have been stuck in that traffic, unable to go around the long way because people pull up too close to each other and won’t let anyone through…..for over an HOUR AND A HALF!! Usually it’s only about 30 to 45 minutes, but this is insane?

1. It takes emergency responders longer to get where they need to go.

2. It blocks the most travelled road in the county, forcing traffic to sit and wait in the heat, cold, rain, etc.

3. In extreme heat and rain you have to run your a/c. In extreme cold, you have to run your heat. This is a HUGE waste of gas and think of all the emissions that we are sending out into the atmosphere.

4. Don’t you think businesses look at things like that when they consider locating their companies here?

It’s nothing to see traffic backed up well past Neal Road on the north side and I have even found it backed up all the way to Kingsfield on the south. This is ridiculous.

BTW, there is a county ordinance that says that they cannot block an intersection for more than 15 out of every 20 minute period. They are supposed to uncouple and let traffic through for 5 minutes before recoupling and doing whatever they’re doing for another 15 minutes before sending traffic through again. They never do this.

The simple solution would be to build an overpass. I realize that it would stop traffic for the businesses along there, but they don’t seem to do much of anything there anyway. Or they could even leave the road for us locals and make the overpass go from from the Hwy 29/95A intersection to the between the mill and the Tom Thumb. Problem solved.

By: cleo713

cleo713 — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 03:25:02 +0000

Glad that no one was hurt.

By: David Huie Green

David Huie Green — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 01:43:48 +0000

Hancock to the north, Davis to the south and it with an overpass. Derailments and train delays are mainly inconveniences and the road is handy when clear. Might not justify another overpass at this time.

By: interested reader

interested reader — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 18:27:17 +0000

How can they not see that an overpass is needed here in the worst way. This should have been done when they widened Airport Blvd. Not enough money or engineers not using their brains to forsee problems! Let’s get this next project on the table as it is a danger and an inconvenience to be stopped on that road for as long as 15 mins., plus the constant danger for a derailment while traffic is waitingfor a train to pass.