Mr. Speaker, last week while on route to an evening meeting in my riding I had to stop quickly for a freight train crossing the road in front of me. I felt fortunate that I had seen it for at night trains at crossings not equipped with lights, bells or barriers tend to blend into the darkness.
If all railway cars had markings on their sides to alert drivers, many accidents could be avoided. Railways have taken the initiative and are painting reflective strips on the sides of their new cars and on cars that come in for repairs. The problem is that in today's intermodal marketplace trains may be hauling cars belonging to U.S. shippers or even the Government of Canada.
The government needs to make the safety of the motoring public a priority. The Minister of Transport has the regulatory authority to make reflective markings mandatory on all railway cars travelling in Canada, and he needs to do it now.