Times Herald-Record, Middletown, NY, 2/25:
MTA aims to raise awareness
Public-education programs on grade-crossing safety
NEW YORK – In the wake of a grade-crossing accident that killed six people, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority will seek to raise public awareness about the risks that abound where railroads and highways intersect.
“Grade-crossing safety is a national issue, a high-priority issue, a serious issue,’’ said Thomas Prendergast, the MTA’s chairman and CEO, on Wednesday. “Changing behavior is our focus. We want to raise the level of awareness, the level of sensitivity, not blame anybody.”
Prendergast, after recounting the basic facts about the Feb. 3 collision in Valhalla, told MTA board members that he will not wait for the National Transportation Safety Board to complete its investigation before moving to make the Metro-North and Long Island railroads’ outreach programs “best in class.”
He said he has already recruited Operation Lifesaver to assist in developing a campaign that has the greatest likelihood of changing public behavior . . .
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