CALGARY, Sept. 8, 2015 /CNW/ - With back to school upon
us, Canadian Pacific Police Service (CPPS) is reminding parents,
caregivers and students to choose the safe path when walking to and
from school and never trespass on railway property.
During the week of September 8-11,
CPPS will be running a "Back to School Rail Safety Campaign" across
Canada and the U.S. Officers will
be paying extra attention to public railway crossings and railway
rights-of-way in and around school zones during morning, lunch and
after-school hours when young people are travelling to and from
school.
"After a long summer, it's important to remind parents,
caregivers and students to be hyper-vigilant around railway
property," said Ken Marchant, CP
Police Chief. "No matter your form of transportation - driving,
walking, cycling, skateboarding - people need to know that any
route that includes illegally crossing or using railway tracks is
the wrong route."
The goal of this campaign is to help prevent railway crossing
collisions and trespassing incidents by encouraging young people
and adults to take safe routes to school and to be safe around
railway operations.
Enforcement and education action will focus on high-risk
behaviours such as drivers disobeying railway crossing signals,
speeding, using electronic devices while driving and offences
involving school and transit buses; pedestrians and cyclists
disobeying railway crossing signals or failing to yield the
right-of-way to approaching trains, and; young people and adults
trespassing on railway property.
"Ignoring warnings around railway property can result in a
serious injury or death, and could have a serious impact on you,
your family and friends, your community and railway employees,"
said Mike Regimbal, Operation
Lifesaver National Director. "We aim to get the word out that all
these incidents are 100 percent preventable."
Year-round, Operation Lifesaver, a safety partnership with
railways and other safety groups, helps to deliver the message that
when people "See Tracks" they should "Think Train".
Tell your neighbours that you're taking the rail safety pledge
and choosing the safe route to school by using #SeeTracksThinkTrain
on Twitter or Facebook.
For more resources on practicing rail safety including materials
for teachers of various age groups, please contact Operation
Lifesaver at www.operationlifesaver.ca or follow them on Twitter
and Facebook @OpLifesaver.
Note to editors:
- Interviews with CPPS members are available by request
About Canadian Pacific
Canadian Pacific (TSX:CP)(NYSE:CP) is a transcontinental railway in
Canada and the United States with direct links to eight
major ports, including Vancouver
and Montreal, providing North
American customers a competitive rail service with access to key
markets in every corner of the globe. CP is growing with its
customers, offering a suite of freight transportation services,
logistics solutions and supply chain expertise. Visit cpr.ca to see
the rail advantages of Canadian Pacific.
About Operation Lifesaver
Established in Canada in 1981,
Operation Lifesaver is a national public-rail safety program
sponsored by Transport Canada and the Railway Association of
Canada. Through partnerships with
provincial safety councils, police, railways, the trucking industry
and community groups, Operation Lifesaver is dedicated to saving
lives by educating Canadians about the hazards surrounding
highway/railway crossings and trespassing on railway property.
SOURCE Canadian Pacific