Metrolinx Just Put Up Spiky Mats So You Can't Walk On The GO Tracks (PHOTO)
Metrolinx is asking you to stay off the tracks. In a press release, the transit company announced that an increase in trespassers have been recorded this summer on GO train tracks. In order to try and stop these rebels, mats are now being installed.
Metrolinx announced on August 27 that it would be rolling out a new pilot program to tackle the issue of track deaths.
The transit agency plans to reduce fatalities by installing several anti-trespassing mats (ATP) at select crossings across the GO rail network.
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According to a company blog, the mats will feature "hard and uneven" rubber panels that make the surface nearly impossible to walk over.
The initiative has been created in the hopes of making people think twice before attempting to cross the tracks illegally.
"With safety being at the very heart of our operations at Metrolinx, we decided to build on the success of the pilot program," Elisabeth Santo, Right-of-Way Officer at Metrolinx, stated in a news release.
"We are aiming to complete the installations along these three corridors by the end of this year. The future goal is to apply this same technology wherever possible across the rest of our system," she added.
The new ATP's have reportedly been installed in the following areas, Galloway Road, Rodd Avenue, Scarborough Golf Club Road, and the Chesterton Shores pedestrian crossing.
The move comes as both Metrolinx and police warn residents to keep off the tracks.
Peel Regional Police started the hashtag #MakeBetterChoices back in August in response to the growing issue of track trespassing.
Police responded to reports that two females were laying on GO train tracks near Argentina Road and Tenth Line in Mississauga on August 24.
The women were reportedly taking selfies and dancing in an attempt to gain social media clout.
The transit agency also noted that a separate incident saw a young man running down the tracks trying to catch his train.