Mass_Transit_March_2021 - 29

So, what can agencies do? Understanding trespassing behavior
can help inform agencies of hotspots
that may benefit from physical barriers and better focus public outreach and education efforts.

Data Helps
Identify Effective
Mitigation Efforts

The more information available
surrounding the factors for trespassing, the better agencies and
the rail industry can prevent such
occurrences. That's because this
data can then inform predictive
modeling, giving agencies and rail
service providers a better understanding of trespassing behavior
and how to prevent it.
The Institute for Transportation Research and Education
(ITRE) at North Carolina State
University, in collaboration with
the North Carolina Department
of Transportation (NCDOT), researched this exact practice in the
" Rail Network Trespass Statewide
Severity Assessment and Predictive Modeling " study.
The research group used motion-activated thermal video camera systems to capture and analyze
trespassing incidents. Sarah Searcy,
bicycle and pedestrian program
manager, ITRE, and principal investigator, explains the research
group strategically mounted the
camera systems beyond the railroad right-of-way to record 24/7
for at least one week during each
season of the year at 11 different
locations across the state of North
Carolina. Locations were selected
based on several factors, including
FRA's past five years of incident
data. Roger Smock, NCDOT Rail
Division and project committee
chairman, adds that gathering data
on pedestrian trespassers was critical in understanding the true count
of trespassers that do not involve
injury or death, which are already
included in FRA's incident reports.
" In addition, this research studied the behaviors of trespassers.
Identifying these behaviors is very

important when applying effective
treatment and mitigation efforts, "
Smock said. " Measuring the scale
of trespassing and understanding
the behaviors of trespassers are
paramount to informing and educating community stakeholders,
policy makers and enforcement
and safety officials. "
The cameras captured individuals, pairs, groups, various ages
and even people walking dogs and
pushing strollers, but one behavior
stood out-95 percent of trespassing events involved crossing the
tracks, says Searcy, noting most
events happened in the daytime
with the majority of people walking
along or through the right-of-way.
" Several factors were identified as associated with higher
frequencies of daily trespassing
events, including greater densities
of pedestrian attractors such as
schools, universities and colleges,
social services and restaurants and
other eating places in proximity to
the railroad right-of-way, and in
combination with less access to vehicles as means of transportation
to work, greater density of racial
minorities and greater density of
low-income housing, " said Searcy.
Models for estimating and predicting trespassing were created
using the data collected from the
research. Profiles of trespassing activity by season, month, week day
and hour of each day were also created for each study location " that
can inform local-level intervention
strategies, " Searcy added.
" The potential reduction in
loss of life and its associated costs
are compelling justification for
investing in the data collection
needed to inform strategies for
mitigating pedestrian trespassing, " Smock concluded.

Physical and Visual
Barriers Serve as
Efficient Deterrent

Considering ITRE's research findings, which saw most trespassing
incidents from the study in North
Carolina involve crossing the

L.B. Foster

THE ATPS attach
to adjacent
panels with
a fixing that
passes under
the rail,
creating a
single matrix
across the
track to ensure
panels do
not become
dislodged.

Chris Vaughan, ITRE

NINETY-FIVE
PERCENT of
trespassing
events involved
crossing the
tracks during
the day and
most people
walked along
or through the
right-of-way.

tracks as opposed to moving along
the right-of-way, agencies may consider implementing anti-trespass
panels (ATPs), such as ones available from L.B. Foster, which can be
customized for specific locations.
" [ATPs have] been proven to
reduce incidents by up to 80 percent, " said Sarah McBrayer, general manager, transit products, L.B.
Foster. " The ATP is a sustainable,
environmentally friendly product
manufactured from recycled rubber
bonded with a proprietary polyurethane system for added strength. "
L.B. Foster's panels are assembled on-site using a kit included
with the panels. The ATP attaches to adjacent panels with a fixing
that passes under the rail, creating
a single matrix across the track.
This ensures panels do not become
dislodged, when installed properly. After the ATPs have been connected, the panels are then cut to
fit the specific location's requirements. Agencies can install these
panels next to highway-rail grade
crossings, terminal platforms and
rail yard entrances.
" [ATPs] discourage trespassing
because they are visually and physically difficult to walk on. They are
also used in more remote or rural
locations to prevent livestock or
other animals from accessing the
track, " McBrayer explained. " Panels are available in three styles to
fit any application - single flanged
to fit each side of the track, double
flanged designed to fit within the
track gauge and flange-less for all
other applications. "
McBrayer adds the ATPs can
be installed in a multitude of envi-

MARCH 2021 | MassTransitmag.com | Mass Transit |

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