We can’t wait to protect our children.
"Why don’t we protect our little kids?"
This was asked by First Avenue resident Bill Mitterko at Monday’s Borough Council meeting, and Mr. Mitterko deserves an answer.
Mr. Mitterko deserves an answer as do the parents of Keith Miranda, killed last week on the railroad tracks; as do the friends and family of Leonard Barber, though no "little kid," also killed on the railroad tracks in July.
It’s not enough to point fingers anymore Manville must do more.
The railroad that bisects the town is a hazard that must be dealt with, and we can’t wait for the railroad company to accept its responsibility to make sure its property isn’t trespassed upon.
They’ve not done anything to enforce their property rights and can’t be expected to in the future.
Only Manville can deal with the constant and ever-present danger the trains present, and the first and best step that can be taken is to begin teaching kids to stay away from the tracks.
Resident Martin Wierzba reported watching high school students on their way home on Thirteenth Avenue in October standing less than three feet from a passing train even reaching out as if to touch it.
Parents have to forcefully remind their kids the railroad tracks are private property, for which they can and should be prosecuted for trespassing.
Police have to respond to reports of kids on the tracks, and residents have to report sightings of trespassers.
The borough needs to aggressively enforce trespassing laws on the tracks even increasing fines to make the penalty stiffer as other communities have done.
Schools should include railroad safety information in classes, from kindergarten to the high school. Much of the necessary lesson plans can be obtained from Operation Lifesaver, a nonprofit group founded to reduce the number of railroad fatalities.
For our part, we will periodically include information from Operation Lifesaver for parents to use to teach their children the danger of trespassing on railroad property.
Children growing up in Manville grow up in the shadows of passing trains, becoming all too comfortable with the trains and the tracks.
Let’s not wait another day to answer Mr. Mitterko’s question.

