[Daily Mainichi] Elderly man arrested from building own railway 'crossing'

Started by Sir Pompously, February 09, 2008, 02:22:45 PM

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Elderly man arrested from building own railway 'crossing'



The self-made "crossing" over the railway tracks on the JR Geibi Line is seen in Hiroshima's Asakita-ku.

HIROSHIMA -- An elderly man has been arrested for paving a path across the railway tracks in front of his home in order to make a short cut to his fields.

Satoshi Masuoka, 73, an unemployed man, stands accused of forcible obstruction of business.

Masuoka paved with asphalt an approximately 1-meter-wide, 3-meter-long path crossing the JR Geibi Line in front of his family home in Hiroshima's Asakita-ku and obstructed safety inspections of the railway tracks between Aug. 15 and Dec. 18 last year, local police said.

"I made the path, but I didn't obstruct their business," Masuoka was quoted as telling police as he denied the allegations.

The trains ran without trouble over the self-made "crossing," whose pavement covered the sleepers along the railway tracks.

Masuoka was supposed to use an approved crossing about 100 meters south of his home, but because it was too far, he had filed a request with the Hiroshima branch of West Japan Railway Co. (JR West) to build a crossing near his home from around 1999. JR West turned him down.

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20080208p2a00m0na032000c.html