New crossing arms alerting pedestrians near the Santa Barbara train station

New crossing arms, lights and safety signs are going up in the Santa Barbara train corridor, an area that has a concerning reputation for accidents involving pedestrians and both passenger and freight trains.

On State Street, those crossing on foot are now alerted with the normal bells along with a mini crossing arm along the sidewalk area. That goes one direction for pedestrians, while the larger bar goes over the traffic lanes to stop drivers.

Rick Sickafoose rode up on his bike and said, ” I think because of all the tourist activity going back and forth it’s good.”

The project cost about $1.3 million dollars. A portion of the money, about $314,000 came from the Hotel Californian as a condition for approval on that project nearby at State and Mason Streets.

In recent months, with the hotel, the MOXI museum, the Funk Zone improvements and other businesses improvement, the area has been bustling with foot traffic.

The level of compliance is something Union Pacific, AMTRAK, and the City Of Santa Barbara will be watching closely.

During some of the train stops this afternoon, many people went around the safety arms along, with families, with dogs and on bikes.

At times, a second train is coming through they don’t see.

“There’s been a freight train and a passenger train going the opposite direction. Sometimes that freight train will start rolling down just as this one is coming in,” said Sickafoose.

One pedestrian did yield. Lisa Cecere from San Diego said, ” I have a bag and and I gotta drag it over. But I have to be honest I might be one of those stupid people that did that if I didn’t have the bag.”

Nearby the train incidents happen all too often according to one resident.” I live by Butterfly Lane and there is a tunnel there and it seems like every year between Olive Mill and that area somebody gets hit,” said Sickafoose.

In some areas, there are signs painted on the ground to alert pedestrians. Andrea Brown sees them when she travels. “In Europe they do a lot of that. It says look up or put your phone down I see a lot of that. Just to let you know that there is a train crossing. They are all over.”

She would like to see more safety controls at other intersections.

Nearby at Milpas Street there are more signs up and some railings.

“That’s where the fatalities have been that’s where they should start rather than just for the tourists,” said Brown