RTD and other local agencies partnered to create a "safety road show" that, among other things, teaches children the dos and don'ts of the light rail tracks.
On Monday, the safety road show visited Eiber Elementary in Lakewood, where the new light rail tracks are less than a block away from the school. The safety show has also visited three other schools in Lakewood, and will travel to two more in Denver.
Even though the West Rail Line isn't scheduled to open until next year, RTD says it wanted to take a proactive approach to educating children.
"We will start running test trains in the next couple of months, and testing our gate crossings and we want the kids to get used to crossing tracks safely," Brenda Tierney with RTD said. "During construction they've been able to - as long as there wasn't actual construction going on -just walk across the tracks and not even think about the trains. So we want to get the thought that trains will be running soon in their minds."
A mock crossing with gates, lights and bells is one of four stations that give kids a hands-on lesson in safely walking and biking to school.
The City of Lakewood, West Metro Fire, and Operation Lifesaver partnered with RTD to create the safety road show. A grant from CDOT paid for its funding.
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