Railroad Fatalities in Santa Barbara County.*

R1

That the Cities of Santa Barbara and Goleta, the County of Santa Barbara and Santa Barbara County Association of Governments meet regularly with Union Pacific Railroad to create a safety plan to reduce trespasser deaths in High Fatality Zones. SBCAG Response: This recommendation has not yet been implemented, but will be implemented. SBCAG does not have authority over Union Pacific Railroad right-of-way. Within the next six months, SBCAG will offer to coordinate and host meetings to assist the Cities of Santa Barbara and Goleta, County of Santa Barbara to work with Union Pacific Railroad to discuss development of a safety plan to reduce trespasser deaths in the region. These meetings may also be used for the agencies to discuss how to best coordinate joint efforts to reduce trespassing on private, Union Pacific Railroad property and work with the railroad to address homeless encampments in the rail right-of-way.

R2

That the Cities of Santa Barbara and Goleta, the County of Santa Barbara, and Santa Barbara County Association of Governments collaborate with Union Pacific Railroad to develop a sealed corridor from Ortega Hill in Summerland to Glen Annie Road in Goleta. SBCAG Response: This recommendation requires substantial further analysis to determine the feasibility, practicality, and effectiveness of such a project. A sealed corridor program has two primary objectives: to enhance pedestrian safety and to enhance vehicular safety, particularly at grade crossings, but cannot prevent or eliminate pedestrian access. Any rail corridor that contains at-grade crossings will be open to pedestrian access to the rail right of way, and thus open to trespassers. , SBCAG will approach Union Pacific Railroad, the cities of Santa Barbara and Goleta and the County of Santa Barbara to determine each of these respective organizations' interest in pursuing a feasibility study about the development of a sealed corridor for the section of the rail corridor identified by the Grand Jury as a high-fatality zone.

R4

That the Cities of Santa Barbara and Goleta, the County of Santa Barbara, and Santa Barbara County Association of Governments collaborate with Union Pacific Railroad to repair and install fencing, to prevent easy access to the Union Pacific Railroad right-of-way in the High Fatality Zones. SBCAG Response: This recommendation requires further analysis. SBCAG does not have authority to repair and install fencing in the Union Pacific Railroad right-of-way. Collaboration between local jurisdictions and Union Pacific Railroad to repair and install fencing requires coordination and funding. , SBCAG will evaluate the level interest by the Cities of Santa Barbara and Goleta, and the County of Santa Barbara to collaboratewith Union Pacific Railroad, to repair and install fencing within the Union Pacific Railroad right-of- way.