Several weeks ago, I approached an individual at St Albert Public Works to express my concern over the state of the railway crossing adjacent to the intersection of Riel Drive and Sir Winston Churchill.
The pavement is broken, huge potholes exist, steel is torn ragged, and heads of spikes stick out from the timbers: cars driving over the crossing have to slow to a crawl or risk having their tires or suspensions wrecked. On several occasions when I have slowed down before crossing, I’ve risked being rear-ended by an inattentive follower.
Every year for the past half-dozen around this time of spring when the holes are worst, I’ve spoken with public works, and the message I received this time was no different than in the past. Apparently the city has no jurisdiction because the right of way belongs to CN Rail, so it’s their responsibility. When I try to call CN, I’m unable to break through their telephone firewall. The upshot is that nothing gets fixed, not even a few shovelfuls of asphalt to smooth out the worst spots.
My argument that I pay my municipal taxes to St. Albert, as do other businesses in the area, and not to CN holds no water with the city. I would contend that if this crossing were in a residential area rather than industrial, the outcry would override the stonewalling. In the meantime, I’m left to take out my frustrations by writing this letter.Jerry Wowk, St. Albert
