[Winona Online Democracy] Hello, I just wanted to say thanks to Jim Galeski for mentioning the crossings in the opinion section today (Wednesday, 28th of Feb.) I think that this is something the whole community should be trying to improve. As mentioned in the article, the city is working on midigation processes...well, that is great that they are working with the DM&E about it, but the whole thing boils down to the Canadian Pacific...again. It isn't a matter of what will happen if the expansion happens, it is a matter of concern now, and will be in the future. The citizens of Winona, and the many people not from the city have to let their voices be heard. **I am willing to video tape the crossings, what they look like, how bad of condition the are in, what the backups do to traffic, and how slow the cars have to go to be SAFE crossing the tracks. I would love for people to tell me what they think the top 5 worst crossings are. I am happy that Jim pictures the 5th street crossing. I cross this at least twice a day, and I know just how bad it is. It is very uneven, and the wood is starting to split and rise up. This has already punctured one of my tires, and contless others no doubt, along with the many other things that happens to cars. **Here is what I would like to do with the video tape(s). I would like to send a copy to the city and county of Winona. They know how bad they are already. They are trying hard too to fix the problem. I would also like to send a copy to the DM&E, Candaian Pacific, Burlington Northern, the State of Minnesota, and the agencys that moniter Railroads in the state, and at the national level. This will demonstrate that the people of Winona have concerns with the safety of the crossings. It will also put something else on the record, and will force them to at least acknowlege that there are problems at major points. I am affraid that the Canadian Pacific does not check the tracks, and crossings enough, and are making poor interperatations of what is acceptable or not. This way that will have more evidence of what they look like, and they will also know that more people are upset with the lack of safety. It will be harder for these agencies to put this on the back burner. So please, send a list of what you think are the top 5 worst crossings in the city, and any other suggestions that you have to improve this small project. Let me know your thoughts on this. Thank you, Mark J Westpfahl _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com ---------------- This message was posted to the Winona Online Democracy Project. Please visit http://onlinedemocracy.winona.org to subscribe or unsubscribe. Please sign all messages posted to this list with your actual name. Posting of commercial solicitations is not allowed on this list. Report problems to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
