The Sunnyvale Sun

News

Cops act to stop people making illegal crossings

By Stephen Baxter

Two teams of Sunnyvale Public Safety officers patrolled near the Sunnyvale Caltrain station May 30 to discourage dangerous and illegal crossings.

The patrol was part of Rail Safety Day held at most Bay Area Caltrain stations to keep people off the tracks when trains are approaching. Some Sunnyvale passengers routinely walk around the lowered red-and-white gates as trains approach.

"Trains move a lot faster than people realize, and it will be a losing battle," said Sunnyvale city spokesman John Pilger.

On the Hendy Avenue side of the Sunnyvale station, officers saw passengers rushing from Hendy around the lowered gates to cross the tracks and board trains. At least eight were issued $271 tickets and missed their trains.

Crossing the tracks when the gates are down is dangerous because 70-mph Baby Bullet trains can speed through the station while passengers board on the other side.

"If I could tell people one thing, it would be to get up a little bit earlier so you don't have to run to the gate to get to the train on time," said officer Greg Othan.

Othan and officer Ben Holt patrolled the station on bicycles from 6 a.m. to noon, and three other officers watched crossings from Hendy and N. Sunnyvale Avenue.