The safest back to school route doesn't include trespassing on railway property

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Sep 08, 2015, 08:00 ET

MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 8, 2015 /PRNewswire/ - With back to school upon us, Canadian Pacific Police Service (CPPS) is reminding parents, caregivers and students to choose the safe path when walking to and from school and never trespass on railroad property.

During the week of September 8-11, CPPS will be running a "Back to School Rail Safety Campaign" across Canada and the U.S. Officers will be paying extra attention to public railway crossings and railway rights-of-way in and around school zones during morning, lunch and after-school hours, when young people are travelling to and from school.

"After a long summer, it's important to remind parents, caregivers, and students to be hyper-vigilant around railway property," said Ken Marchant, CP Police Chief. "No matter your form of transportation - driving, walking, cycling, skateboarding - people need to know that any route that includes illegally crossing or using railway tracks is the wrong route."

The goal of this campaign is to help prevent railway crossing collisions and trespassing incidents by encouraging young people and adults to take safe routes to school and to be safe around railway operations.

Enforcement and education action will focus on high-risk behaviors such as drivers disobeying railway crossing signals, speeding, using electronic devices while driving, and offences involving school and transit buses; pedestrians and cyclists disobeying railway crossing signals or failing to yield the right-of-way to approaching trains; and young people and adults trespassing on railway property.

Year-round, Operation Lifesaver, a safety partnership with railways and other safety groups, helps to deliver the message that when people "See Tracks" they should "Think Train".

Tell your neighbors that you're taking the rail safety pledge and choosing the safe route to school by using #SeeTracksThinkTrain on Twitter or Facebook.

For more resources on practicing rail safety including materials for teachers of various age groups, please contact Operation Lifesaver at www.oli.org, or follow them on Twitter and Facebook @olinational.

Note to editors:

Interviews with CPPS members are available by request

About Canadian Pacific
Canadian Pacific (TSX:CP)(NYSE:CP) is a transcontinental railway in Canada and the United States with direct links to eight major ports, including Vancouver and Montreal, providing North American customers a competitive rail service with access to key markets in every corner of the globe. CP is growing with its customers, offering a suite of freight transportation services, logistics solutions and supply chain expertise. Visit cpr.ca to see the rail advantages of Canadian Pacific.

SOURCE Canadian Pacific