Transport Canada is asking the city of White Rock to review an exemption on train whistles after 42-year-old Anita Lewis was hit and killed by a train when she was out jogging in July.
Lewis was at a marked crossing near the Sandpiper Pub on Marine Drive when she was struck. Her death was ruled an accident.
At the time, White Rock Mayor Wayne Baldwin said Lewis was wearing eadbuds.
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Currently, trains in White Rock are not allowed to use their whistles between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., but it was not clear if a whistle was used when Lewis was crossing the tracks.
Baldwin says he will participate in the review, but he does not want to see any drastic measures taken.
“I am not sure that whistling is the answer, but we have to look at it,” Baldwin told Global News. “We have to not overreact to the situation. I am going to use the Ottawa example: they had an arm coming down, they had the lights flashing and they had the alarm bells going, and still the train hit the bus. So what more could you do?”
Another option being considered is the installation of more fencing around railroad tracks. Baldwin says he would dispute this suggestion.
The review is expected to wrap up by the end of October.
With files from Scott McLean
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