Someone’s watching you.

Last May, a system of cameras was set up on the Duff Avenue/Union Pacific railroad crossing to watch for people driving around railroad gates.

This “traffic violator” device, monitors the tracks when the warning arms are down.

“It’s a surveillance system that is there to reduce the number of events when people drive around the gate arms while they are down and when trains are coming,” said Scott Logan, city of Ames traffic engineer.

In the past, this location has had the highest accident rate in the state of Iowa, most resulting in injuries or fatalities.

On May 1, 1995 a motorist traveling southbound was stuck behind a line of traffic and was unable to drive off the tracks before the train approached. There have been 11 accidents on these tracks in the past 17 years, including three deaths in the last seven years along with six injuries.

Accident reports have shown that in most cases the motorist has been at fault by intentionally driving around the gate arms.

This new system will take several pictures of the violator. These photographs will then be downloaded into a police computer where Sargent Mike Campbell, of the Ames Police Department, will monitor all activity caught on film.

“The only bad thing about the system,” Campbell said, “is that it takes about one minute and a half to transmit the picture. That’s too long!”

There are two sets of cameras, 10-15 feet in the air, on opposite sides of the crossing arms from the vehicle in range.

In order to discourage driving around the gates there are traffic detector loops placed on both sides of the track,” Logan said. When the gate arms are down, a signal is activated which allows the cameras to take both a broad view shot of the car and driver, plus a close up of the license plate.

The police department sends letters with an enclosed picture of the violation to the motorists who have been captured on camera, Campbell said. There have been an average of four violators a week viewed under this new system.

Only one manufacturer installs this kind of equipment at railroad crossings. The company, Science Applications International Corporation of Kansas City, Mo., has installed over 300 camera systems.

Most installations were made to monitor train activity. It was just recently that they started using this device to detect motorists driving around gate arms.

“This system was fully funded by the state,” Logan said.

The total installation cost was about $55,000. Logan and Campbell both hope for an upgrade of this equipment that will be an additional $35,400, also funded by the state. With this upgrade there will be a clearer picture of the driver.

“The upgrade would include an infrared, strobe lighting system that would improve the lighting for the camera, and make the viewing of the driver easier,” Logan said.

In addition to this upgrade, Logan is seeking funding for a study to see if it would be possible to go under or over the tracks like the grade separate on Grand Avenue.

“A grade separate would be the ultimate,” Logan said, “because if you grade separate the crossing there would be no conflict between the train and motorists.”

Due to the grade, many business may have to be removed.

“I’d like to see the grade system happen,” Campbell said, “but the most important thing right now is bringing awareness up to people.”