麻豆视频

Skateboarders and pedestrians who want to cross the train tracks might have to walk around them in the near future.

The Yorkton Business Improvement District (YBID) is looking to build a chainlink fence running along the train tracks near the skate park. The fence would start at Broadway Street and extend down to Independent Street.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a fair stretch of chainlink fence,鈥� said Phil Devos, YBID Executive Director.

YBID started the project two years ago when they heard complaints from Yorktonites and railroad operators that people at the skate park had a tendency to 鈥減lay chicken鈥� with oncoming trains. Engineers are forced to slam their brakes when they see people on the tracks, which brings the trains to a halt in the middle of Broadway Street, clogging up vehicle and foot traffic.

鈥淭hat causes a lot of people a lot of inconvenience,鈥� Devos said.

YBID brainstormed a possible solution to the problem and they settled on a fence. There won鈥檛 be direct access from the skate park to the tracks; people will have to walk around it. The hope is the聽fence will be enough of an obstacle to discourage any rash decisions to jump onto the tracks.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a safety issue,鈥� Devos said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 100 per cent about keeping kids from stopping trains or somebody really getting hurt.鈥�

YBID parntered with CN Railway and the City of Yorkton for the project. The City and the rail company are currently hashing out a maintenance agreement regarding who will tend to the grass near the fence. According to Mayor Bob Maloney, once an agreement is reached, tenders will be sent out to build the fence.

Once the fence is in place, Devos hopes to transform it from cold steel to an art installation. YBID is considering allowing people to decorate the fence.

鈥淎s you鈥檙e walking along the sidewalk, you can look at people who鈥檝e done their Picasso or what have you,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat would be phase two.

鈥淩ight now phase one is [about getting]...that fence put in and [taking] it from there.鈥�

Devos would like to see the fence completed this year, although he understands everyone has a lot on their plates these days.

鈥淩ome wasn鈥檛 built in a day,鈥� he said. 鈥淔ences aren鈥檛 built in a day.

鈥淚t will get done.鈥澛�