News story: Toxic chemicals on fire after train crashes in Belgium
See also Leucadia blog post from 2008
Add this to the list of your daily paranoia. It's not hard to imagine a Santa Fe freight train having an accident in the Leucadia corridor. Imagine toxic smoke blanketing homes, apartments, businesses, Paul Ecke Central elementary school, the Head Start pre-school, etc.
Don't give Streetscape foes any ideas.
ReplyDeleteWhat"s wrong Fred, are you afraid to pull your head out of the sand?
DeleteSmith- You just need to pull your head out.
DeleteActually, I think derailing a toxic cargo train to incinerate a roundabout would be quite low on an antiscape's list of alternative solutions for their elimination. Nor do I think the many glowing accolades attributed to roundabouts EVERYWHERE you research them online is a huge conspiracy promoted by developers, Peltz and/or people who would secretly like to destroy safety and efficiency in America. But I'm wondering...do you subscribe to the statement made by your peer group that west Leucadia has the worst emergency response times of any area of Encinitas?
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ReplyDeleteThis has nothing to do with Streetscape. A similar accident will occur, unless the grade separation at Leucadia Boulevard happens. Its guaranteed and City Council and NCTD will have blood and chemically burnt baby lungs on their hands.
ReplyDeleteI get it. We lower the tracks 40' in Leucadia and when your inevitable cyanide cargo train derailment happens here, baby's lungs wont burn and council and NCTD won't have blood on their hands. Made sense to me too, but when I Googled it, it was toward the bottom of the probability list on horrible ways we can die, right below quicksand and spontaneous combustion. Still, I think the city should be prepared do something about quicksand showing up. Especially on the Hall Property. They could end up with mud on their hands.
ReplyDeleteGoing back over 7+ years, when the city gave the public time during goals session I pointed out that it would be a good goal for the city to increase preparedness for this sort of thing to happen in the middle of high density areas. At the time I spoke to several FD folks and leaders in other coastal cities. A bad freight rail accident with toxics released would lead to black tag triage situations for medical care and it would take a while for emergency resources to ramp up at the site.
ReplyDeleteI also talked with people at PEC. I hope freight trains with toxics aren't going to be coming through during school hours after they double track all the way, because PEC did not have a successful plan in the case of toxic fume release. Some teachers are openly aware of this.
It is not a good idea to pack a lot of people along a freight line. The more people exposed the more the emergency and MEDICAL response will be spread thin. I hope the General Plan Update addresses freight train derailments adequately.
On the other hand, a pension tsunami is much much more likely to affect Encinitas if we don't turn that issue around (or upzone like crazy to keep up).
It seems to me that this is something that people should think about before moving next to rail lines - or under a flight path or next to a freeway. That rail line has been there for more than 100 years. If you are not satisfied that there are adequate safety measures in place, then shame on you for putting your family in danger.
ReplyDeleteWhat an ignorant thing to say... so Bart, I guess you don't believe in being responsible for ones actions. One is not free to damage the property of others without being liable.
ReplyDeletethe railroad in up through the 1990 had 14 trains a day. Now its closer to 50 and when they double track it will be over 100 trains a day.
Leave the tracks as is and the keep the limit of trains to 14 per day, If there is more trains allowed, than the users should pay for the impact.
Bart - Ever hear of CEQA?
Anon - The railroad has always had the right to increase the number of trains on their rails. They also own enough property that they can put in a second set of tracks, which they also have a right to do. Just as an airport has a right to increase the number of planes taking off and landing and just as the state has the right to imminent domain the property of people next to the freeway if they want to expand it.
ReplyDeleteI never said that the railway has the right to damage other peoples' property, nor can they operate outside the boundaries of CEQA. The second set of tracks will go through an environmental review that would have been unheard of 20 or 30 years ago. If that second set goes in, it will be as safe as is required by law. There is no way to guarantee that a train will never crash and that is what some people seem to be asking for. As I said, if you are not comfortable with the amount of risk that is allowed, then you should not have moved within "toxic cloud in prevailing winds" distance of the tracks.
HAaaa. That's all of Encinitas.
ReplyDeleteIt is a lot more than all of Encinitas. I am satisfied that, as long as they act within the law, the risk is low and I am willing to take the risk for the payoff of living here. I also recognize that they may increase the number of trains to 200/day and I may hear a lot of horns. Even more horns when they put in the at-grade crossings near Pannikin and Leucadia Dounut. I knew it was possible when I moved here.
DeleteI didn't know at-grade crossings would make Leucadia more horny.
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing what easy access to doughnuts and coffee will do to people.
DeleteMaybe we did think about it, and we thought if they had to increase the capacity of a track in a highly developed area, the PUC and others would require them to underground the tracks.
ReplyDeleteBury the tracks, not people.
considering the density of the area, the tracks should be lowered.
I am sure that everyone would love to lower the tracks. Who is going to pay for that? You can't force the railroad to pay - they were here first and graciously allowed the right of way for the road. The city is stretched too thin building parks and paying for retirements. If you would care to make a generous donation I'll bet they would even be happy to name it after you: "Anon's deep hole" or something nice like that.
DeleteOooh.... I like that...
Deletecheck is in the mail.
Gday.
200 crossings a day at a jack-uped up intersection is just plain gross negligence. If this is approved, I will be the first one to organize the class action law suite againts the responsible parties.
ReplyDeleteI am willing to do what is right and not be a victim like so many complacent people.
The people who would pay for it would be NCTD and they would charge alittle bit more to each freight train filled with all that chinese crap that we can not live without. the bottom line is its the responsible thing to be done.
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