Category Archives: Safety
Bay Area Gas Blast Lessons For Riverside?
In case you’ve forgotten about the gas line explosion last September in San Bruno, the one where a ruptured gas line fueled a blaze that killed at least four people and destroyed more than 35 houses. The explosion, which led to a wind-driven fire, I bring it up as we near the close of public comments for the Perris Valley Metrolink Line. We have our own high pressure jet fuel line running through an arroyo next to Hyatt Elementary School.
It’s up to us to ask the hard questions. The people in San Bruno relied on PG&E and it didn’t work out as planned.
It’s not as if there are bad guys running around trying to cause havoc. We have been underfunding infrastructure upgrades for decades. Thinking that we’ll take care of the problem later and classifying it as deferred maintenance has real world impacts. Sometimes devastating.
Unfortunately these breakdowns aren’t confined to old installations. The 215 overpass is having problems with concrete falling to Spruce Street below. This project was state of the art and remains a modern marvel of engineering. Let’s hope it’s an enduring one, in the sense of providing superb service rather than an ongoing closure and repair cycle.
It’s always some individual who makes the decision to forgo a safety precaution in an attempt to save time or make more money. BP oil spill, West Virginia mine explosion ring any bells?
With the recent rains, it’s a wonder the tracks didn’t wash out in Islander Park. There was no drainage provided for all the water and tons of silt came pouring off the mountain.
Take a look at the video of Islander Park after the recent rains. Maybe back filling the track bed is cheaper than providing for drainage, but as taxpayers, and residents adjacent to this project, our concerns and comments have been relevant and legitimate.
The Perris Valley Line has not fully addressed foreseeable long term health and safety impacts. Claiming there is “no significant impact” because of added cost or time avoids the issue.
That’s why it remains critical that you make your comments by Jan 6th.
New RSUD President Keenly Concerned Over Perris Valley Line
Tom Hunt has been named president of the Riverside Unified School District.
Hunt also is keenly concerned with protecting students’ safety.
This includes concern over the Riverside County Transportation Commission’s Perris Valley Line project. This project will increase traffic on a stretch of railway that runs very near to two RUSD elementary schools.
Safety concerns
“As important as RCTC supporters claim the Perris Valley Line project is to the area’s economy, nothing surpasses the priority of assuring safe campus environments for our students, our staff and their families. We will take every measure required and use every tool available to us towards protecting the safety and security of our students, our personnel and our properties.”
Well said Mr. Hunt.
March JPA Settles Lawsuit With Friends Of Hills
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I just want to share with you a news item. Friends of Riverside Hills, a local environmental watch dog group, had noticed that March Joint Power Authority was working to approve the addition of two rail spurs capable of servicing 12 cars per day, each, as part of a development they were planning.
Rail spurs would mean more rail traffic through our neighborhood and MJPA did not consider the impact the added rail traffic would have on our neighborhood.
Friends filed suit under the California Environmental Act and it has just been announced that MJPA has just settled the suit. This is a great victory on behalf of our neighborhood, as now any developer who wants to have a rail spur in the MJPA area will have to do a full EIR and mitigate the impact upon our neighborhood.
I think we owe a big thanks to Friends of Riverside Hills!  While they do get their legal costs paid for when they win these suits, they don’t usually make any money out of the settlements. This is a group of volunteers care about open spaces, environmental habitat, Riverside’s prop R & C, and the development of hiking and bike trails. They are a Federally recognized Non-profit organization and would appreciate any donations anyone would care to make.
They can be contacted at Watkinshill@juno.com and I encourage you to at least send them a note of thanks. They are our neighbors too.
About the time MJPA was trying to approve its two rail spurs, the city of Perris approved two rail spurs for warehouses south of their location. FORH was able to make timely comments for that project and has a pending suit. Lets hope they prevail in that suit too. Its not so much to stop economic development, but to have the developers mitigate the impacts of their development. In this case, it would be the added rail traffic through our neighborhood.
Kevin Dawson
Missing Person Help Needed
Police Community Meetings
UCR Environmental Health & Safety Facility Open House
Super Sizing Hits Freight World
The Wall Street Journal reports on how trucking and rail companies are moving to longer trucks and trains. Even our good neighbor BNSF reports running longer trains to improve efficiencies. 
Perris Valley Line Criticism Lingers After Draft Report
With overwhelming support for the Perris Valley Line,(mostly from 
communities where no impacts are foreseen), there remain numerous, valid criticisms about the project’s mitigation and safety measures. Read more in the Press Enterprise.
EPA Lead-Paint Rule Is Now A Reality
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If you’re considering a paint job and you home was built before 1978, you’ll want to bring yourself up to current standards. Part of those standards are for how contractors must treat removal or repainting.
Steps for catching up for contractors.
A little self care could turn out to be health care in the end.