Agincourt community concerned about increased Go Transit service
Posted September 18, 2017 11:51 pm.
Last Updated September 19, 2017 6:09 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A group of Agincourt residents is asking for more safety measures at railway crossings in their community.
GO Transit service has doubled this past June and the residents now see 34 trains go through their neighborhood every weekday.
“This is a very residential area, we experience trains going by every 30 minutes during weekdays from six in the morning to 11 p.m.” says Rhoda Potter, a resident and the president of the Agincourt Village Community Association.
The community is not used to seeing this many trains and she says there is no proper infrastructure in place for students from seven different schools in the area who have to cross the tracks to get to class.
Potter says she has no problem with the additional services – but she does have a problem with the lack of safety measures.
She told CityNews that there are no safety barriers for pedestrians at three different crossings at Finch, Huntingwood and Havendale.
“We have requested some form of safety measures to help these children, prevent them from accidents … grade separation, tunnels, something that will assist them,” Potter said.
A Metrolinx spokesperson told CityNews said they had “ransit safety teams that go out to schools and community barbecues to educated about rail safety.
“You can put all the barriers on tracks, but people still have to obey them,” Anne-Marie Aikins said, saying education was a priority.
Go Transit also says that for their part, they will continue to deliver on their promise of transit expansion by going from 1500 trains a week to 6000 trains a week across their system.
The Agincourt Village Community Association is holding a demonstration about the railway crossings on Tuesday. It will be held at the pathway at Marylyn Avenue and Agincourt GO station train tracks from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
