RECENTLY, several students crossing the railroad tracks encircling Charlottesville have received an unwelcome surprise: a ticket and a court date. The Charlottesville police have renewed their efforts to deter students from walking across the tracks. They are now monitoring the tracks and giving tickets for trespassing to students. Additionally, chains and small fences block access to most areas along the tracks. Nevertheless, masses of students still illegally cross the tracks as part of their daily routine.
Clearly, the police's efforts are not working. Ticketing a few students has not persuaded most students to find alternative routes. Increased enforcement by policemen might be more successful, but would only waste valuable resources which should be allocated elsewhere. Accordingly, a viable, long-term solution is desperately needed. The University must provide students with additional means of crossing the railroad tracks safely. Instead of just sending selected students to court, University administrators, students, and the city of Charlottesville must work together to construct pedestrian crosswalks over the tracks.
The railroad tracks do present real safety risks for students. Student-made paths across the tracks are hazardous and steep. Rocks, branches and other obstacles threaten to trip up unsuspecting students. In these conditions, a student -- particularly if inebriated -- could easily stumble over a rock and suffer serious injuries. With a train coming, the consequences of falling down on the tracks could be fatal. Additionally, a number of students have been robbed and assaulted near the train tracks in recent weeks. Police have repeatedly warned against crossing the tracks alone at night.
Considering the safety risks, it is reasonable for police and administrators to tell students not to cross the tracks. However, unless police plan to continually patrol the tracks, many students will not listen. Increased ticketing or patrolling could offer a short-term fix, but these measures do not offer an efficient long-term solution. These efforts will only waste valuable resources. Especially in light of recent robberies and assaults, the police should focus primarily on cracking down on robberies and assaults
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