Palo Alto Weighs Closing Deadly Railroad Crossing

Palo Alto leaders are weighing whether to close the Churchill Avenue rail crossing next to Palo Alto High School after a string of student suicides at local tracks. (cbsnews.com) The City Council debated the idea on April 15 and did not make a final decision that night, instead scheduling the issue to return on May 11. CBS Bay Area reported the proposal followed four Palo Alto High School students’ deaths by suicide at railroad crossings over the last two years. (cbsnews.com) Churchill is one of Palo Alto’s four remaining at-grade crossings, where roads and tracks meet at the same level. The city says any temporary closure would require analysis of emergency response, traffic circulation, pedestrian and bicycle rerouting, signals, fencing and California Public Utilities Commission review. (paloalto.gov) The debate is unfolding as Palo Alto confronts what Stanford Health experts described at a March 12 city meeting as the community’s third youth suicide cluster. Palo Alto Online reported that residents packed that meeting to argue over whether restricting access to the crossing could interrupt impulsive acts. (paloaltoonline.com) City staff and Caltrain began reviewing a possible temporary closure in February after meeting with California Public Utilities Commission staff. The city also approved 24/7 human monitors at all Palo Alto crossings on February 23 while longer-term safety measures are studied. (paloalto.gov) Supporters of a closure say the crossing’s location beside the high school creates an immediate risk for students in crisis. Palo Alto Online reported that family members, students and some residents urged council members to treat access to the tracks as a means-restriction issue, a suicide-prevention approach focused on making lethal methods harder to reach. (paloaltoonline.com) Opponents told the council the closure would shift traffic and school travel onto nearby streets without guaranteeing safety. CBS Bay Area reported concerns that rerouting could divert about 8,000 cars and 700 students a day and slow police and fire response. (cbsnews.com) The crossing fight is also colliding with a separate, longer rail project. Palo Alto is already studying grade separations — projects that put roads or paths above or below the tracks — and the city says Churchill is one of seven track crossings in town, with four still at street level. (paloalto.gov) The city has also brought in the Jed Foundation, a nonprofit focused on youth mental health and suicide prevention, to help Palo Alto respond to grief and prevention needs. Palo Alto Online reported the group began teen focus groups in April as the city weighs rail-access changes alongside broader mental health support. (paloaltoonline.com) For now, the Churchill crossing remains open, and the next public decision point is May 11. The question before Palo Alto is no longer whether the tracks need more safeguards, but which safeguards the city can put in place fastest. (cbsnews.com)