Wednesday, September 24, 2014

The public needs to attend a class on who owns the railroad crossings

People are getting the lesson that the railroad was here first. After that, everyone else followed. When you are here first, people have to get your permission and not the other way around. Click title for link.
Gregory Stuart, executive director of the Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization, said several cities in Broward County have signed the crossing agreements, but the county government has not.
“The original agreements are almost 100 years old, and they’re all written a little bit differently,” Stuart said. “It’s unfamiliar territories for the cities. When they become familiar with it, they’ll understand that they might want to negotiate.”
If the agreements aren’t signed, Stuart said federal law supersedes local decisions and the municipalities will still be billed for maintenance and repairs under the existing plans.
“Railroad law predates most of our communities in Florida,” he said.