ELMIRA HEIGHTS, N.Y. -- Every week, trains cross East McCanns Boulevard to and from the Anchor Glass factory. Though there are no lights, there is normally a warning to motorists of an oncoming train.
"Usually there's a flag man with a yellow vest on that makes sure traffic isn't coming through," resident Cynthia Taft said. "He stops traffic."
An Elmira Heights police officer recently observed that flagperson wasn't showing up. He observed a near-collision between a car and an oncoming train. Elmira Heights police chief Rick Churches says Norfolk Southern Railroad hasn't been able to provide a flagperson at Lynwood Avenue and East McCanns due to staffing cuts.
Legally, the trains are required to blow their whistle 1,500 feet before the crossing. Drivers are supposed to stop a minimum of 15 feet from the tracks.
Police want drivers who frequent that area to be careful.
"The train is going fairly slowly through there, but still if you're not paying attention, it could be very dangerous," Churches said.