For any of those commuters who use Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway to enter the downtown core from the south (me), you know there’s one risk that can blow up your morning schedule — the 8-ish a.m. train. MLK backs up, nobody can cross the tracks, and the slow-moving train is sure to leave you at least 5-10 minutes behind schedule.

And of late, it’s been even more frequent — guess that’s just the price we pay for economic success. Here’s a tip: If you’re coming from the west, turn south down Southwest 11th Street, then cut over to Southwest Eighth Street, which will carry you up and over the train below. Coming from the east? Use the same Southwest Eighth overpass by turning south onto Southwest Seventh Street and right on Tuttle Street.

Wave at the cars below as you fly to your 8 a.m. meeting on time.

For those of you (me) who might have made a Fast & Furious-style habit out of flying through the flashing lights at the train crossing north of MLK on Fifth Street while racing to beat a train, beware.

Previously there weren’t any crossing gate arms that came down to discourage drivers from scooting through after the lights were flashing. But new signals, complete with crossing gates, were just installed on May 18 in an effort to make the crossing safer. Good move — especially with the increased traffic on Fifth Street sure to stem from the new downtown Hy-Vee.

From our office that sits trackside, I’ve seen many cars have near misses, and I’ve always wondered why that intersection never had a gate. That leaves four level crossings without arm gates from Fleur to the river: at the Southwest Eighth and Southwest Ninth underpass crossings, at Fourth Street by the Science Center of Iowa and Hessen Haus, and at Water Street.