Caltrain strikes car stuck in traffic at Ravenswood Avenue rail crossing

"Fire Chief Schapelhouman said “this at grade crossing is notorious for many significant near miss and sadly tragic accidents involving the loss of life. It’s a poorly designed crossing exacerbated by people who are in a hurry and not paying attention that can then suddenly find themselves in harm’s way. Simply stated, the Train can’t swerve to avoid an impact and if the Express is coming through it takes about a mile for it to slow down and stop because it’s going about 80 miles per hour. This should have been improved years ago but the debate on how to fix this crossing has gone on for decades…in the meantime our Firefighters continue to directly deal with the very real deadly consequences and close calls associated with it”.

The"new"pedestrian crossing on Ravenswood makes this problem worse. There is only one good solution - grade separation. It is irresponsible for Menlo Park not to have dealt with this issue years ago. How many accidents/deaths will it take to get the city to move on this issue?

I find it incredibly frustrating that the City Council has spent years dithering about the Ravenswood Caltrain crossing while cities up and down the Peninsula are well into the design (and funding grant application) process.

Even if the Council were to make a decision on this issue tomorrow, we would be lucky to see any construction before 2035.

Here is what can be done if the Council really wants to ACT:

"Less than three months after the Northridge earthquake knocked down two sections of the world's busiest thoroughfare, Gov. Pete Wilson announced Tuesday that the Santa Monica Freeway will reopen next week, ending frustrating delays and bottlenecks for thousands of commuters.

State officials hope the final cleanup of construction work can be completed early April 12 in time to let rush-hour traffic inaugurate the two new freeway bridges at La Cienega and Washington boulevards.

Spurred by the promise of an extra $200,000 a day for every day work was completed ahead of schedule, the contractor, C. C. Myers Inc., will finish the project 74 days before a June 24 deadline and rack up a $14.5-million bonus for the company.

The high-speed construction was made possible by crews working around the clock, seven days a week, and by state officials cutting through red tape."

For decades, Menlo Park (and Atherton) have had their heads stuck in the sand, prefering to sue Caltrain rather than fix their roads. When cities figured out that the lawsuits were just a huge waste of taxpayer money, the cities prefered to do nothing rather than admit they were wrong. Now 20 years has passed and nothing is done and our roads are getting more and more dangerous. We need to throw the bums out by voting for representatives that look out for the needs of the majority of the city's residents.

Yes, this driver behaved poorly by stopping on the train tracks, but as the fire chief says, this road is notoriously poorly designed and needed to be fixed long ago.

The lack of grade separation at all crossings in Menlo Park is an absolute travesty and disgrace.

For those who think that elected officials cannot act quickly in the pursuit of the public interest note that the Fire District has acquired land adjacent to five of its seven fire stations and already completed two new fire stations while Menlo Park has been deliberating what to do about grade separation.

One simple, short term fix we could make is to go crazy marking the exclusion zone on the roadway. Stripes, solid paint, botts dots, something to make it unambiguous where a car must NEVER stand. Some people don't seem to process the virtual zone under the raised crossing bar and try to squeeze in. A big yellow or red box would be harder to make that potentially deadly error.

Longer term we need to do something about separation and/or better light/gate coordination. But in the YEARS that will take, paint should help

If the car was traveling west on Ravenswood, the pedestrian crosswalk doesn't come into it. Couldn't the express train trigger the stoplight at El Camino so that westbound traffic can proceed?

I was one who got stuck on the tracks when traffic ahead didn't pull forward. It is a judgement call when the light is green. The problem for me came when people left car lengths between them and the car ahead of them. There would have been plenty of psace and time (potentially for eve more cars behind me) if everyone had pulled ahead a normal amount. No one is paying attention so honking and waving did nothing. There is just not a lot of time or space at that intersection that you are working with. Terrifying with my kids in the backseat.

Ravenswood is a bad crossing, with multiple complications, where drivers need to be alert and pay close attention to what the cars and pedestrians around them are doing at all times. I never, ever cross the tracks until I see clear space on the other side of the tracks for my car.

Eastbound, with the pedestrian crossing and the right turn onto Alma, you can't assume traffic will flow freely and just proceed across the tracks ~ you have to be SURE that space on the other side of the crossing is clear.

Westbound, I think the traffic lanes should be solid, so that people understand they can't cross the tracks and then change lanes. I've had people put me in a bad position by suddenly changing lanes on the other side of the tracks, taking up my open space at the last minute. If you're in the wrong lane, stay where you are and go around the block; don't endanger the person behind you by darting into their lane unexpectedly.

I'm really glad this woman is ok; the outcome could have been so much worse. It'll be many years before anything is done about this crossing (if anything is ever done), so everyone, please be careful! Beating traffic and getting across the tracks before the arms come down isn't the priority; getting home safely is.

Katie, our posts crossed in the ether and I didn't see yours until mine had been published. I'm so glad you and your kids are ok!! It must have been an absolutely terrifying experience for all of you.

Underpass NOW! With separate wide bike lanes and separate wide pedestrian lanes.

"The train, which was traveling at 78 mph, was not damaged and did not stop."

Whaaa? Wouldn't it be prudent for the engineer to stop the train and check for damage to the locomotive or carriages? How does he/she know the track itself isn't damaged? Isn't this the equivalent of fleeing the scene of an accident?

Menlo Park intends to submit an application for funds for the design and engineering phase of a Ravenswood grade separation in 2019 and once that work is completed funding for this 3-year construction project must be secured. Note that neither the state nor SMC have money budgeted for this project. My best GUESS: No grade separation will be competed before 2030.

@Art This article is mistaken -- I was on the train when it hit the car. The train took about a mile to stop but once it did it was held for 45 min as the conductors checked on the train, conducted tests, and checked on the vehicle that was hit. The train was able to continue along after all the checks.

Kate Kennedy is spot on. I never cross any track unless I see a full space for my car. But this particular crossing is notorious for people next to you snaking into your safe space and often it happens at the same time you are already proceeding across the track. It is incredibly frustrating and I don't know there is a solution for bad behavior short term.

I'm sorry but I have not read all the comments. I STILL SEE PEOPLE STOPPING ON THE TRACKS AT THIS CROSSING!!!

I'm glad the person was not seriously hurt, or worse!

This has nothing to do with Caltrains, the City, the crossing, etc. This is simply people being dumb and not taking responsibility for their actions, not paying attention and too much in a hurry! Stop looking to blame others for your poor decisions!

This is a TRAIN CROSSING! That should mean something too you. You know, along Route 66 in Flagstaff, AZ there is are two train tracks that parallel the route, with multiple crossings. Large, mile long freight trains roll through there 20 times and more a day, everyday! They have "quiet zones", where the trains cannot use their horns, they have (train) speed limits, and rarely, rarely are there any accidents! Why? Because people know what it means when a train hits a car!

Both intersections should be grade separated, not just Ravenswood.

What will happen to traffic on Oak Grove when Ravenswood has been remodeled and Oak Grove is still at grade? Traffic will shift significantly from Oak Grove for the surer and safer bet of Ravenswood. This does not help the problem with East-West traffic between El Camino and Middlefield, let alone the traffic the really wants to end up on 101.

Grade separations are not going to get cheaper, and travel by rail is only going to increase as traffic worsens. We're several decades from seeing significant congestion relief from self-driving cars. Let's do what we can NOW.

We need a new city council.

Yes, people change lanes on the tracks to get ahead and that should not be permitted.

Lanes could be separated by pylons (except where the train passes through).

Also, as suggested, some paint could serve as a visual reminder.

Can't do anything against crazy impatient and rude.

"The driver told firefighters that after the collision, she thought her car was OK and drove off, but pulled over after circling around the block, Schapelhouman said.

"The entire back of the vehicle just past the rear tires was almost completely sheared off, shattering the vehicle's rear window and activating the passenger side air bags on impact,"

Yeah, my car is ok when that happens..for sure.
She either was in shock or quickly reconsidered hre "fleeing the scene" decision.
.

"Grade separations are not going to get cheaper, and travel by rail is only going to increase as traffic worsens. We're several decades from seeing significant congestion relief from self-driving cars. Let's do what we can NOW."

Remember that this is the same Council which refused the Fire District's offer to pay for half of a HAWK signal system on Middlefield in front of Station 1 (and to loan the City the other 50%0 because the City staff were too busy to deal with this public safety issue.

Minutes from June 20, 2017 Fire Board Meeting:
"12. Consider and Authorize the Fire Chief to Enter Into Discussions and Agreement with the City of Menlo Park to Install a Hybrid Beacon Traffic Signal (HAWK) on Middlefield Road and Linfield Drive and Santa Monica Avenue to Support Emergency Response from Fire Station One and a Mutually Beneficial Proposal for an Improved and Safer Pedestrian and Bicycle Crossings from the Group Parents for Safe Routes to School Not to Exceed $175,000

Motion: Upon motion by Director Carpenter, seconded by Director Silano, the Board authorized the Fire Chief to enter into discussions and agreement with the City of Menlo Park to install a hybrid beacon traffic signal (HAWK) on Middlefield Road and Linfield Drive and Santa Monica Avenue to support emergency response from Fire Station No. 1 and a mutually beneficial proposal for an improved and safer pedestrian and bicycle crossings from the Group Parents for Safe Routes to School for an amount not to exceed $175,000. The Board stated that if the City of Menlo Park is unable to designate funds for this project in the next fiscal year, the Fire Board authorized the District to fund the full cost of the project provided that the City of Menlo Park agrees to reimburse the Fire District in FY 2018/19 for 50% of the cost of the project. (Vote: 5-0-0)"


This was in June 2017 and the City has yet do do anything about this.

This crossing is inherently dangerous and people will continue to be injured or die until grade separation is provided.

Calling people morons does not solve the problem nor does the current Darwinian solution solve the problem.

Worth reading:

Off Deadline: A bigger, faster train is barreling toward Palo Alto — ready or not

Web Link

MP should close all of the at grade crossings. Drivers can use the 5th Ave. and University Ave. underpasses. This will allow Cal Train to run more trains without worrying about the schedule disruptions caused when a train hits a car.

Quick temp fix
Close Alma St at Ravenswood. Thus no more cars to and from Alma interfering with traffic flow.
East bound Ravenswood from tracks to well past Laurel two lanes instead of the one.
Signal for west bound Ravenswood at Alma. Coordinated with trains.

AND No Stanford Alma development until they pay for grade separation thru there property to connect with Willow.

Oh yeah and replace city council, planning commission and planning staff.

@whatever - they already tried banning right turns on to alma and that made the problem worse as it caused even more traffic to back up on to the tracks due to the crosswalk and the bootle neck at Laurel.

We just need to get moving, honestly this discussion has been going on for decades. It is symptomatic here in MP. The problem was created by the citizens of MP and made worse because those same citizens refused to do anything about it for decades.

MPer
That's why I said two lanes eastbound to well past Laurel.
And also remove the Alma crosswalk a ross Ravenswood and have the pedestrians cross Ravenswood at ECR and Laurel.

Unless another car pushes your car onto the tracks, you can't say that stopping on the tracks isn't your fault! I have NEVER had this problem, and I'm not a superhuman driving savant. Put down your $&#@ing phone, look at the car in front of you AND the cars in front of them, generally slow down when you're crossing the railroad, and you're going to be OK.

Yes, we should have grade separated ALL the Caltrain crossings a long time ago, but people should stop pretending like they don't have individual responsibility. COME ON!

@whatever, don't be silly. You're asking to remove a crosswalk that is a vital part of our bike/ped access to Caltrain/downtown/civic center area, just because drivers can't seem to navigate a complicated intersection properly?

Making it harder for people to walk/bike/take the train will definitely *not* solve our traffic problems.

The reason that there are tens if not hundreds of thousand separated railroad crossings is that, for whatever reason, cars end up on grade crossings with deadly results.

"Every week in the United States in 2014, about 16 people were killed by trains—a 17 percent increase over the previous year and adding up to the highest number of rail casualties since 2007,"

"The most populous states had the greatest number of train fatalities. California, with 141 deaths,"

Kbehrooi
There r 2 other close crosswalks - Laurel and ECR. Of course the city could put in traffic signals to protects the pedestrians which should have been done long ago but we need to be realistic about the city's continued lack of concrete action.
Btw how is Ravenswood and Alma a complicated intersection for vehicles? If someone can't figure out how to navigate that intersection they shouldn't be driving.

@ whatever, precisely.

If drivers can't figure out how to navigate this train crossing/pedestrian crossing situation, they shouldn't be driving.

BTW, I'm absolutely in favor of grade separation–-ideally more than just Ravenswood. I'm not in favor of requiring pedestrians to walk an extra two blocks out of their way just so drivers can be careless/stupid.

It's always amusing to me that we want to impose the greatest inconvenience on the slowest, most vulnerable road/sidewalk users. Maybe we should just, you know, close the crossing to all but bikes and pedestrians. Cars are fast! Oak Grove is only a block away! /sarcasm

Very simple, trains will NOT stop in time for motorists on the tracks. DO not get on the tracks period if you can not get across

Let's talk TUNNEL.
I am reminded of Peter Carpenter's cogent and persuasive arguments (many months ago) about the wisdom of BORING A TUNNEL for Caltrain. "Cut-and-cover" would put Caltrain out of commission for years, but a massive tunnel project (think "The Big Dig" in Boston) would not disrupt surface transportation. With rail underground, the Caltrain tracks/right-of-way could be a green belt that included bike lanes---helping cyclists avoid the danger of trying to bike alongside distracted drivers.

Obviously, this would be an enormous, expensive undertaking that would require state funds and cooperation from the cities on the peninsula. But it CAN be done. (It would have to be deep enough to avoid creeks/culverts/etc.)

For Heaven's sake... If England and France can bore a tunnel under the English Channel, surely we can bore one under the Peninsula from San Jose to San Francisco.

Wouldn't this be a much better use of transportation billion$ than that ridiculous high speed rail boondoggle?

Trains are an obsolete transportation system from the 19th century, invented to move heavy loads across the largely rural landscape of the 19th century. Passenger rail has been unprofitable and technologically stagnant for over 60 years. There is a reason Southern Pacific unloaded Caltrain on the state (taxpayers).

Technological stagnation has left CalTrains without the performance characteristics needed to safely share the modern landscape with other ground based transportation.

Grade separation doesn't just separate Caltrain form other ground based transportation. Grade separation also separates Caltrain's ROW from the modern world. The grade separated ROW is a Jurrasic Park for trains.

As others have suggested, can we at least upgrade level crossings to a higher safety standard? The ones we have are no better than a model train set. European and modern Asian crossings have gates both sides, barriers to stop pedestrians and animals going under, and huge zig-zag yellow markings on the pavement that you know not to venture in to. The standards seem to be much higher in other countries, with much higher train volume.

We should do the simple upgrades to all crossings first (and Ravenswood is just one of many) before or also while creating grade separation. My worry is that we don't upgrade or put in moderate investment because we're too busy opening up old versions of Popular Mechanics and dreaming about tunnels, monorails, and high speed rail.

Best Post on this thread showing the tragedy.

How we approach rail is Jurassic at Best.
Might as well give up on it, as we can't get done what other societies have been successfully able to do. With higher urban density and developmental challenges.

We are 150 years behind electrification of trains and 50 years behind high speed rail. That averages out to about 75 years behind the world on public transportation.

We have also spent countless tax dollars so that Musk can build his elite electric space hogs and can profit from publicly funded Research & Development.

If some of that moneys would have been spent on rail, we would have better and safer mass transportation by now.

"For those who think that elected officials cannot act quickly in the pursuit of the public interest note that the Fire District has acquired land adjacent to five of its seven fire stations and already completed two new fire stations while Menlo Park has been deliberating what to do about grade separation."

Maybe so, but then Menlo Park has been deliberating what to do about grade separation for decades.

But let's consider the opportunities. Will the Fire District accept a contract to gradesep Ravenswood, including a schedule performance bond? If not, your boasting is empty.

AA said:

"How we approach rail is Jurassic at Best. Might as well give up on it"

We have given up. We gave up 60-70 years ago. You are the only one hanging on to an obsolete vision of the future from the 1960s. Societies that did not build out passenger rail in the first half of the 20th century will never build it out. It just doesn't make sense in the 21st century. A one-dimensional system, like passenger rail, just can't compete with a highly networked two-dimensional system.

Passenger rail supporters are still stuck in hippy generation neo-primativist thinking. Go back to beards, go back to sandals, go back to the land, go back to communes, go back to yurts, go back to bicycles, go back to trains.

Remember that this is the same Council which refused the Fire District's offer to pay for half of a HAWK signal system on Middlefield in front of Station 1 (and to loan the City the other 50%0 because the City staff were too busy to deal with this public safety issue.

Minutes from June 20, 2017 Fire Board Meeting:
"12. Consider and Authorize the Fire Chief to Enter Into Discussions and Agreement with the City of Menlo Park to Install a Hybrid Beacon Traffic Signal (HAWK) on Middlefield Road and Linfield Drive and Santa Monica Avenue to Support Emergency Response from Fire Station One and a Mutually Beneficial Proposal for an Improved and Safer Pedestrian and Bicycle Crossings from the Group Parents for Safe Routes to School Not to Exceed $175,000

Motion: Upon motion by Director Carpenter, seconded by Director Silano, the Board authorized the Fire Chief to enter into discussions and agreement with the City of Menlo Park to install a hybrid beacon traffic signal (HAWK) on Middlefield Road and Linfield Drive and Santa Monica Avenue to support emergency response from Fire Station No. 1 and a mutually beneficial proposal for an improved and safer pedestrian and bicycle crossings from the Group Parents for Safe Routes to School for an amount not to exceed $175,000. The Board stated that if the City of Menlo Park is unable to designate funds for this project in the next fiscal year, the Fire Board authorized the District to fund the full cost of the project provided that the City of Menlo Park agrees to reimburse the Fire District in FY 2018/19 for 50% of the cost of the project. (Vote: 5-0-0)"


This was in June 2017 and the City has yet do do anything about this.

Hope she was wearing her seat belt, but it doesn’t sound like it. People do the weirdest things, sadly. Just put the phone down and watch the traffic in front of and behind you!