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OTTAWA - The agency charged with investigating transportation accidents has cited nine critical issues facing the country's transport system - and collisions at railway crossings head the list.
One issue is clear in the Transportation Safety Board's so-called watchlist, released Tuesday: too often, its advice goes unheeded and the same problems keep killing people.
"We know from hard experience, if persistent problems are not addressed, there will be another accident," said board chair Wendy Tadros. "That is why we have our watchlist."
Agency records show 380 incidents at railway crossings in the last 15 years - one every two weeks - and 106 deaths due to collisions between vehicles and passenger trains.
"The risk of passenger trains colliding with vehicles remains too high in busy rail corridors," says the board, noting cars and trucks regularly traverse 20,000 railway crossings daily.
The collisions continue despite advance warning signs and, at about a third of public crossings, flashing lights, bells and gates.
Transport Canada conducted safety assessments to identify crossings that required upgrading before authorizing an increase in train speed limits along the Quebec-Windsor corridor in 1993.
"These assessments are nearly 20 years old," says the agency. "They no longer reflect the present risks, nor do they consider emerging ones.
"Given that a third track is being considered along portions of the busy corridor between Montreal and Toronto, the need for action is even more pressing."
The TSB also called for clearer warning signs at steep crossings after a 2008 collision between a passenger train and an immobilized tractor-trailer - the sixth on the dangers of vehicles crossing railways in busy corridors since 1999.
"As Canada's population has grown, so has rail traffic in communities along busy rail corridors," it says. "Improving the design and placement of signage is just the beginning.
"Transport Canada and the railways must conduct safety assessments to identify high-risk crossings along busy passenger train routes and make the necessary safety improvements."
The watchlist touches on virtually every element of transportation on sea, over land and in the air.
The agency notes there are more than 100 large passenger ships operating in Canada, roughly half of them able to carry over 400 people. Yet it says past investigations have highlighted problems with emergency duties and training.
Regulations require passenger vessels to have procedures for swift and safe evacuation of everyone, it says, but abandon ship exercises remain voluntary.
Emergency response is "more automatic and requires less interpretation and decision-making" among those who have received training and practice.
"This amounts to precious time saved - time that is even more vital when lives are at stake," says the agency. "It is therefore critical that crew members have access to detailed, accurate passenger lists, and that crews be practised at mustering and crowd-control."
It also says pilots need accurate reports of runway surface conditions so they can calculate landing distances and avoid runway overruns.
Further, the agency says some airports still don't have adequate "safety areas" beyond the runway's end, where rough terrain "could contribute to aircraft damage and injuries to passengers and crew."
Tadros says the watchlist comes after analysts found troubling patterns in their work.
"Many times, we arrive on the scene of an accident and see the same safety issues - issues that we have raised before."
The board is calling the watchlist a "blueprint for change."
"These issues pose the greatest risk to Canadians," said Tadros.
"There is no higher priority. It's time for industry and regulators to step up and tackle these nine critical issues."
The board is an independent government agency that investigates pipeline and transportation accidents, publishes its findings in public reports and makes frequent recommendations.
It has produced a series of fact sheets outlining the scope of each issue and providing background and solutions. Tadros says she hopes the list will evolve as progress is made.
"We're not saying it will be easy, but we're saying it's time to act."
Some other issues on the watchlist:
-The agency has issued 42 recommendations on fishing vessel safety since 1992, but there is still an average of 445 marine accidents and 12 deaths reported annually, many involving fishing vessels. The agency says a wide range of safety deficiencies persist across the industry, especially those involving vessel stability, crew training, unsafe operating practices and a lack of immersion suits.
-There were 3,831 "runway incursions" between 1999 and 2008 in which aircraft and vehicles moving on ramps, taxiways or runways have collided or nearly collided. The agency notes that, while relatively rare, the consequences can be catastrophic. It's calling for improved procedures and enhanced collision warning systems at airports.
-Between 2000 and 2009, there were 129 accidents and 128 deaths in which pilots inadvertently flew into the ground, water or an obstacle, usually at night or in poor weather. These account for just five per cent of aircraft accidents but nearly 25 per cent of fatalities. The TSB has issued recommendations such as installing ground-proximity warning systems in smaller aircraft but it says not enough has been done.
