Railroad meeting filled with unhappy citizens

Sheriff promised not to jail
those ticketed for trespassing

STODDARD, Wis. — One particular railroad isn’t too popular with sportsmen and other folks living in the La Crosse area.  

A meeting about rail safety, held Thursday at the Stoddard Legion Hall, brought out many complaints about the BNSF railroad, cracking down on people trying to cross tracks to reach the river or hunting areas.

A bill to allow pedestrians to legally cross tracks anywhere – not just at marked crossings – was passed by the Wisconsin Assembly but blocked by the Senate.  

Government and the railroads say too many people are killed by trains when they don’t use the proper crossings.

Wisconsin’s railroad commissioner Yash Wadhwa said the state is working with BNSF to make it easier for pedestrians to cross railroad tracks.  

Wadhwa said that adding more crossings is not a ‘magic answer,’ and may not do much to satisfy local residents.  

Even though the hall was filled for the 1 p.m. meeting, some sportsmen said the hearing should have been held at night, when more young people could attend.

Vernon County Sheriff John Spears attended the meeting, and said he had been hearing complaints about a certain railroad enforcement officer ticketing people and treating them rudely.

“When he was in my office, he was very polite,” Spears said. “But now I’m hearing he’s being not so polite to those citizens utilizing those natural resources.”

The sheriff got applause from the audience when he promised that he wouldn’t jail anybody getting a trespassing ticket from that rail officer.  

Senator Jennifer Shilling conducted the hearing.