Few objects in Terre Haute have the capacity to evoke road rage more readily than trains. As the Crossroads of America, we see more than our share. As the site of switchyards, we have more than our share of chances to stop at a level crossing as a train passes, or worse, blocks while it stops.
It’s not a new issue. Most of us have heard the urban legend that John Dillinger refused to rob a bank in Terre Haute because he feared being railroaded during his getaway. Relocation of railroads has been a discussion point since at least 1948.
City officials are constantly asked what can be done to remove this annoyance. Let me try to outline how complex this issue is.
Because railroads fall under law governing interstate commerce, they are not regulated nor taxed locally. They are above local control. Historically, communities 150 years ago did everything they could to lure railroad connections inside their city limits. Yet while the business of railroads in America has changed, their location hasn’t.
Meanwhile, though it is easy to criticize railroads when we’re waiting for trains to pass, they provide inexpensive freight hauling that reduces cost in every sector of our economy.
So what can Terre Haute do? City officials are constantly told we should fine them for blocking traffic until it hurts the railroad enough to goad it into moving. That has pros and cons.
The framework under which we can issue citations to trains is state code, not local ordinance — Indiana Code 8-6-7.5-1 through 8-6-7.5-3, for those who are interested.
As of the writing of this letter, community law enforcement agencies (Terre Haute police, Vigo County sheriff and Indiana State Police) have written 86 tickets this year to railroad companies for blocking county intersections. The cost for one of these infractions is $110. Of that money, about half pays court costs; another significant proportion pays for a variety of fees to cover judicial salaries, document preparation and other administrative overhead. Each city court case, for example, pays $2 per infraction to cover DNA samples. That is not a locally mandated fee, but one that comes from the state.
The infraction cost — the actual fine — for a train blocking the crossing, is $1. That amount could be raised at the discretion of the court to a fine up to $500. The court could assess anywhere from $1 to $500. Therefore, in theory, with all the other associated costs, an infraction for a train blocking a crossing could be $609.
We could cite the crew as well, though the law allows them to be exempt if they are operating under the instructions of their supervisors.
The railroad companies regularly come into the City Clerk’s office with a check for their infractions. Of that $110 infraction cost, the city is only allowed to keep between $24 and $27, depending on which agency wrote the ticket. Court costs go to the state, as do most of the fees. The entire fine goes to the state, whether we charge $1 or $500.
The court could increase the fine, but at some point the railroad will stop paying it and take the case to court. At that point, we spend local taxpayer dollars in court and attorney time to collect a fine that we turn over to Indianapolis.
We could cite and conceivably detain the crew, but what does that do other than force the company to send a replacement crew from miles away to move the train that is already the irritant? We then create a longer wait to make a point.
In all this process we lose a chance to keep a partner in what is no doubt the only lasting solution to our concern: railroad relocation.
Our best bet in the long run is to channel the frustration into finding a relocation plan that is helpful for the railroad as well as for Terre Haute. Consider how many American communities just tell the railroads daily that they should move out. Until we can give them something that will make their business stronger, however, all simple relocation means to them is disrupted service and monumental expense.
Mayor Kevin Burke’s concept of an inland port east of Terre Haute is one such idea that would accomplish our fondest wish while giving the railroad companies an incentive to go. The concept is worth pursuing, and we’re actively doing so, asking the state and the railroads to work as partners in the process.
This inland port won’t alleviate overnight the problems we endure daily at our crossings, but it, or some concept like it, will provide the long-term solution that we want.
— Peter C. Ciancone
Communications director
City of Terre Haute
Flashpoint
Flashpoint: Train frustration should be channeled into relocation plan
- Flashpoint
-
-
FLASHPOINT: Republicans enable war on middle class, unions
About six years ago at the pinnacle of the Bush/GOP Dictatorship, I began telling you that the wealthy and Corporate America were laying the ground work to politically, financially and physically take over America.
-
FLASHPOINT: Howey ignores truth to advance his agenda
Brian Howey’s Jan. 8 column about the U.S. Senate race proves once again that he will not allow the facts or journalistic ethics to get in the way of attacking Richard Mourdock and promoting his chosen candidate, Dick Lugar.
-
FLASHPOINT: Putting fairness first
This time of year, with chords of Auld Lang Syne still ringing in our ears, it’s not uncommon or unnatural to think of days gone by as being more desirable than the era we live in today.
-
FLASHPOINT: What really motivates right-to-work proposal?
You may have heard about the upcoming “right-to-work” legislation before our lawmakers in the next session of “law making.”
-
FLASHPOINT: The right-to-work debate: ‘Devil at Our Doorstep’
As the 2012 Indiana Legislative Assembly convenes, January will represent a tipping point for all Hoosiers’ individual freedoms as politicians and Big Labor draw battle lines to determine if Indiana will become the 23rd right-to-work state.
-
FLASHPOINT: State’s House Democrats will offer alternative for job creation
As the leaders of single-party control in state government outline their agendas for the 2012 session of the Indiana General Assembly, it is easy to be cynical about their intentions in the months to come.
-
FLASHPOINT: Community colleges must lead way in reshaping higher education
In the 1970s, I began what was three decades in the automotive industry. ... Today, in my position as president of Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana, I see higher education confronted with some of these same challenges.
-
FLASHPOINT: There’s little right about ‘right to work’ proposal
The danger contained in these three simple words – “Right to Work” — is that they sound so innocent.
-
FLASHPOINT: The next big movement? Reform Congress
We are living through one of the most remarkable times in recent history.
-
FLASHPOINT: Christmas trees and crony capitalism
I’ve been involved in selling fresh Christmas trees for as long as I can remember.
-
FLASHPOINT: Salute to Rooney and all veterans
When I awoke to the news that CBS’s “60 Minutes” commentator Andy Rooney had passed away I was truly saddened.
-
FLASHPOINT: Corporate welfare for Menards?
As near as I can figure from a recent story in the newspaper, our government representatives, state and local, are scrambling to find money to give to Menards because of a distribution center they are thinking about building on the city’s North Side.
-
FLASHPOINT: State Archives needs permanent, safe home
The records in the Indiana State Archives are priceless, one-of-a-kind treasures not to be found anywhere else.
-
Flashpoint: State Archives needs permanent, safe home
The records in the Indiana State Archives are priceless, one-of-a-kind treasures not to be found anywhere else.
-
FLASHPOINT: Attracting foreign investment involves more than business climate
A week before I left Indiana to lead my fifth international trade mission, I met with students at Speedway High School who had visited Japan two years ago. They were sharing their advice on Japanese protocol.
-
FLASHPOINT: Scoring the Indiana Chamber
It is a question asked routinely — almost reflexively — during the last days of a General Assembly: “Will the Chamber score this?”
-
FLASHPOINT: The growing power of lobbyists
Back in 1982, Mississippi’s powerful U.S. Sen. John C. Stennis faced a tough re-election fight. Advisers told him he had an ace up his sleeve: as chairman of the Armed Service Committee, he could raise bundles of campaign cash from defense contractors. But Stennis balked. “Would that be proper?” he asked. “I hold life and death over these companies.”
-
FLASHPOINT: Fiscal hawks: Speak out on state’s largest publicly funded project
Indiana has a number of fiscal hawks among our elected officials who talk tough about ending subsidies and cutting wasteful projects.
-
FLASHPOINT: A great company will soon disappear from community
This is in reference to the Tribune-Star story of Aug. 6 concerning the Terre Haute Sherwin-Williams plant’s intention to close by end of the year:
-
FLASHPOINT: Collegiate relations committee proposal addresses neighborhood ills
With the beginning of the school year, it is apparent that Terre Haute is a college town in many respects, especially for those who live in the Farrington’s Grove neighborhood, south of downtown.
-
FLASHPOINT: Indiana learning from a founding Hoosier family
The Delph family excursion through southern Indiana over the Labor Day weekend was as memorable as it was enjoyable. Lilly turned 5 and got to spend her birthday at Holiday World riding rides and eating sweets. Abby got to drive Dad around on the pretend cars foretelling our new world order. Emma, Anna and Evelyn further cemented their status as rollercoaster girls dragging Mom and Dad on the Voyage, arguably the most brutal ride of all for parents.
-
Social media makes news more intimate, more disturbing In decade after 9/11
When a student recently asked what was “the hardest story” I had to cover during my 26 years working at CNN, the question caught me off guard.
-
FLASHPOINT: Better access to quality health care can happen
Over 50 million Americans live in areas where there are simply not enough health care providers to meet their basic needs.
-
FLASHPOINT: Seeking understanding from insanity of war
On the evening of Sept. 11, 2001, my family and I gathered to watch the unending news reports and the searing images of our homeland under attack.
-
How to listen to a politician
As summer draws to a close and next year’s political campaigns get down to brass tacks, you’re going to be hearing a lot more from politicians seeking your vote.
-
FLASHPOINT: Congress must help keep American dream within our reach
Since the 2010 mid-term elections, House Speaker John Boehner and his blindly dedicated Republican followers have not introduced a single bill for job creation.
-
FLASHPOINT: Howey’s Aug. 21 column was inaccurate
Elected officials accept public debate.
-
FLASHPOINT: Measles outbreak demonstrates the need for up-to-date vaccinations
Real incidents that engage national, state and local health professionals can be far more fascinating than television investigative dramas and are clearly more important.
-
FLASHPOINT: Looking into the eyes of evil
In a few days, Tuesday to be exact, our family will look once more into the eyes of evil and hope that our long journey for justice will be ended.
-
FLASHPOINT: Doing right things will get you going in positive direction
My name is Zacchary Lewis and I just graduated from Terre Haute South this past June. I played football there and wrestled for a few years.
- More Flashpoint Headlines
-
FLASHPOINT: Republicans enable war on middle class, unions
Fla. Man Adopts Girlfriend in Legal Battle
Komen Reverses Planned Parenthood Cuts
GOP: Jobs Numbers Welcome, Can Do Better
2nd Teacher From LA School Arrested on Sex Claim
More Deaths As Egypt Clashes Continue
NY Police Shoot Dead Unarmed Man
Past Complaint About LA Teacher Comes to Light
Raw Video: Michelle Vs. Ellen in Pushup Contest
'Lucky' 9-Year-Old Receives 6-Organ Transplant
Raw Video: Prince William in Falklands
Obama: Still Far Too Many Americans Need Jobs
Madonna Nervous About Super Bowl Halftime Show
Foreclosures Down 34 Percent in 2011
Hiring Burst Pushes Jobless Rate Down to 8.3%
Reaction Heated on Planned Parenthood-Komen Rift
Raw Video: Australia Towns Isolated by Floods
Egpyt Protesters Blame Police for Soccer Deaths
Cat in Cockpit Causes Four-hour Flight Delay
Raw Video: Fighting Goes on in Homs, Syria
Trump Backs Romney, Despite Gingrich Staff Claim
SB XLVI: Adam Sandler
Bronx Zoo Selling Valentine's Day Roaches
Adam Levine: Shame on Randy Jackson
Tim Tebow Addresses His Fans and Faith
Gossip Girl's Steamy Spread
AG Holder defends actions in heated hearing
First Look: Kim Kardashian on 'Last Man Standing'
Panetta said to expect Israel attack on Iran in spring
Madonna channels Victor Cruz
Christina Hendricks Stuns in Sexy Dress
Raw Video: Snow Causes 20-Car Pileup in Italy
College Football Prospect Chooses Team Based on Chick-Fil-A
EXCLUSIVE: Katy Perry's Sims 3 Commercial BTS
Ads get social at Super Bowl
Man Adopts 42-Year-Old Girlfriend
Kim Kardashian Looking to Start Bible Study Group
Raw Video: Punxsutawney Phil Sees Shadow
