THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2008

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Mayor Says Ticketing Trains Issue Not Done

By TODD WESSELL

Journal & Topics Editor

Citing his belief that a recent Illinois top court decision which says that communities do not have the right to ticket trains that are blocking traffic for long periods of time, Des Plaines Mayor Tony Arredia said the matter is not yet "a done deal."

"I want to find out what our options are," said Arredia yesterday (Tuesday). "I realize everyone hides behind safety. But safety is also involved when trains delayed for 15 minutes or more have frustrated drivers who might do things that they normally wouldn't do."

Last Friday, the Illinois Supreme Court tossed out a state law and Mundelein village ordinance that granted communities the right to issue tickets to trains for blocking intersections for more than five minutes. (See page 1B for related story). In past years, Des Plaines has issued several tickets to railroads for blocking traffic. With those citations came fines worth tens of thousands of dollars. In the Supreme Court ruling, it states that local ordinances cannot preempt the Federal Railroad Safety Act.

In Des Plaines, three main rail lines run through the city frequently blocking traffic. At times, the trains stop for periods that can last many minutes.

The city has also stated that traffic traffic causes problems for emergency vehicles that have difficulty quickly reaching people in need.

Arredia, who is also president of the Northwest Municipal Conference, said he intends to discuss the matter with member communities and area state legislators to see if a unified effort can be launched to give communities more influence in the matter.

"It's not right that communities have no say," said Arredia. "The (Supreme Court) decision is not in the best interests of the communities. They've (railroads) got strong lobbyists in Washington and Springfield."