By Finnell                                     H.C.R. No. 126

      75R1104 CDD-D                           

                             HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

 1-1           WHEREAS, Texas, with 13,000 public railroad crossings located

 1-2     within the borders of our state, leads the nation in

 1-3     train-automobile accidents; and

 1-4           WHEREAS, Despite an aggressive public awareness program that

 1-5     has helped to significantly reduce the number of accidents in Texas

 1-6     since 1989, there were still more than 400 train-automobile

 1-7     collisions in 1995 alone, resulting in 48 fatalities and 207

 1-8     injuries; and

 1-9           WHEREAS, Two-thirds of Texas' railroad crossings on state,

1-10     county, and city roads are unguarded, and, while the safety of

1-11     these crossings could be improved through better markings and

1-12     lighting, this solution is not only costly but would take years to

1-13     implement; and

1-14           WHEREAS, Statistics have proven that speed is a contributing

1-15     factor in many train-automobile collisions; to this end, a

1-16     reduction in the speed at which trains may travel through Texas'

1-17     municipalities must be a vital component of any plan to lower the

1-18     number of railroad crossing accidents; and

1-19           WHEREAS, Requiring a reduction in speed for train travel

1-20     through communities will save lives and spare many Texans the pain

1-21     of losing their loved ones in this tragic manner; now, therefore,

1-22     be it

1-23           RESOLVED, That the 75th Legislature of the State of Texas

1-24     hereby urge the Texas delegation to the Congress of the United

 2-1     States to sponsor legislation limiting the speed at which a train

 2-2     may travel through a municipality; and, be it further

 2-3           RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official

 2-4     copies of this resolution to all members of the Texas delegation to

 2-5     the Congress of the United States.