4955.33 Crossbuck signs.
4955.33 Crossbuck signs.
At all points where its railroad crosses a public road at a common grade, each company shall erect crossbuck signing at positions at each such crossing that are in accordance with the department of transportation manual for uniform traffic control devices, adopted under section 4511.09 of the Revised Code, to give notice of the proximity of the railroad and warn persons to be on the lookout for the locomotive. Any such signing that has been or is erected in accordance with this section may lawfully be continued in use until it is replaced. A company that neglects or refuses to comply with this section is liable in damages for all injuries that occur to persons or property from such neglect or refusal. Each crossbuck sign also shall be accompanied by an additional sign consisting of three panels, with the middle panel bearing the word “yield” spelled vertically. The front and rear faces of the crossbuck sign and of the three panels of the additional sign shall be coated or treated with a reflective material, and if the crossbuck sign and additional sign are mounted on a vertical girder or post, the girder or post also shall be coated or treated with a reflective material. The director, after consultation with those persons knowledgeable in the area of railroad-highway grade crossing safety as he may select, shall determine specifications for the crossbuck sign, additional sign, girder, or post, and for the reflectiveness of the reflective material described in this section. The director of transportation may erect experimental signs at certain crossings in lieu of the above required signing, for the purpose of conducting research for the development of better signing systems. The erection of such a sign by the director at a particular crossing relieves the railroad company from any liability in damages that might otherwise arise under this section at the crossing. With the prior approval of the director, a railroad company or local authority may erect experimental signs and warning devices at a crossing in lieu of the above required signing, for the purpose of conducting research for the development of better warning signing systems and devices. Such signs and warning devices may be erected on either an interim or permanent basis, as determined by the director, and the erection in accordance with this section of such signs and warning devices at a particular crossing relieves the railroad company or local authority from any liability in damages that might otherwise arise under this section at the crossing.
Effective Date: 01-01-1995