The issue of train safety once again is being thrust into the national spotlight after 14 people were killed in an Amtrak accident earlier this month in Bourbonnais, Ill.

Railroad safety is especially pertinent in Ames because the main line of Union Pacific Railroad runs directly through town.

Ames City Councilman Herman Quirmbach said train safety is of utmost importance to Ames residents.

“It is something that everybody has to be concerned about all the time,” he said. “The fact is, there are a lot of people who get killed every year. When we plan our streets, we have to give trains front and center attention.”

The last train-related accident in Ames was a minor accident in 1997 at the Duff Avenue crossing. There had not been an accident prior to that since 1995, when a fatal crash occurred at the same intersection.

Scott Logan, city traffic engineer, said drivers who ignore gates and safety lights are the biggest dangers at railroad crossings.

“There were 11 accidents in 17 years because of cars driving around gate arms,” he said.

Quirmbach also said aggressive drivers cause problems.

“There are a lot of motorists who just don’t realize how dangerous train crossings are,” he said. “It won’t kill you to be five minutes late.”

Raised medians are one of the newest ways to combat drivers who ignore safety precautions at train tracks.

“We use raised medians to keep that front car waiting in front of a gate from going around,” Logan said. “The lead car would have to go over the median to get around the gate, and it’s a lot less likely to happen with a raised median.”

The medians already are in place at the Clark Avenue and Kellogg Avenue intersections, and there are plans to install them next year at Scholl Road, Hazel Avenue and North Dakota Avenue, Logan said.

Quirmbach said he is pleased with the raised medians.

“They would make it impossible or very difficult to drive around the gates, which is what we want,” he said. “And it’s cheap compared to what’s at stake.”

Surveillance cameras are another deterrent employed by the city at crossings. They were added at the Duff Avenue intersection a few years ago to catch gate dodgers in the act.

Logan said the threat of getting caught seems to be slowing the flow of cars going around the gates.

“I’m sure they know the camera is monitoring them and that they could have to pay a fine,” he said. “I think that’s enough deterrent not to drive around those gate arms.”

He said the Duff Avenue intersection is used by 16,000 vehicles and 60 to 65 trains each day, making it the highest volume train intersection in the city. This is why it is the only intersection in the city to have surveillance equipment.

There are two cameras at the intersection — one on each side. One camera uses a broad lens to capture the entire intersection, and the other focuses on the license plates of the cars moving through the crossing. The cameras are equipped with infrared technology, allowing them to capture traffic offenders at night, Logan said.

When drivers are caught ignoring the gates, the ticket is $80 after surcharges, according to the city attorney’s office.

Quirmbach said there are no plans to install cameras at any of the other intersections in Ames.

Besides the measures already in place, a transportation study currently is being conducted to see if overpasses or underpasses would be feasible on Dayton Avenue and Duff Avenue.

Quirmbach said despite the cost of an overpass or underpass, he suspected the study would recommend they be built at both intersections.

“When you’ve got a loaded train moving on the same plane as an automobile, there’s no way to be 100 percent safe,” he said. “Separating the trains from the cars is the best thing to do.”