On January 25, 2024, my daughter, Marin, lost her life at a pedestrian crossing right in the heart of downtown Barrington. Unlike other crossings in Barrington, this particular crossing doesn't have pedestrian gates.  Several months have passed since Marin's death and we are still waiting for pedestrian gates to be installed.  The Village has cited that it is in process but the lack of progess in light of prioritizing non-essential initiatives continues to put the Barrington Community at risk.

The National Safety Council reported that in 2019, 270 pedestrians died at railroad crossings across the United States (National Safety Council, 2019). Every single one of these incidents could have been prevented if proper safety measures, such as pedestrian gates, were installed. We do not want to see this grim statistic continue to rise, nor do we want another family to suffer as we have.

The time for action is now. The Village of Barrington must prioritize and expedite the installation of pedestrian gates at all Metra railroad crossings. The grief of losing a loved one to a preventable accident is immeasurable, and no other family should have to endure this.

We ask the local government to speed up this process and protect its citizens. Each day that passes without pedestrian gates is another day when a tragic incident is waiting to happen. Please sign this petition and join our fight for public safety.