Kirby Hakkesteegt asked council to think of the community and keep the Lawson Settlement Rd crossing open.
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Brighton council voted last night to keep the Lawson Settlement Rd. railway crossing open despite repeated safety concerns from both CP and CN.
Jennifer Benedict from CP, who has been stressing safety since the beginning, asked Mayor Mark Walas if the reason they voted to keep the crossing open was to satisfy residents’ wishes, and he said it was also economic.
Several residents spoke in favour of keeping the crossing open, citing the need to bring their farm equipment across, keeping more traffic off Stoney Point, better access to the Brighton Speedway, etc.
Benedict asked council if they were aware that it is illegal to bring heavy trucks and farm equipment across, but Kirby Hakkesteegt said the signage at the crossing states nothing more than 11 metres long.
Walas said he thinks they made the right decision for the short term, and that hopefully when the new safety regulations come out in 2021, the new council will choose to carry on.
$300,000 will be transferred from reserves to cover the cost of the immediate safety concerns.
Future costs are estimated at about $1 million.
