People don’t like being inconvenienced, so much so that they are sometimes willing to sacrifice even safety for comfort.

That explains why millions of people reuse weak passwords like “123456” or “password” on sensitive financial and personal accounts or why some drivers refuse to wear seat belts or use workplace safety equipment like goggles or earplugs.

Next week, Columbus and Greenville Railway will close a pair of railroad crossings in Columbus to replace rotten beams, which is certain to inconvenience drivers in those areas.

Railroad crossings are a good example of the push-pull between convenience and safety.

In 2013, the Mississippi Department of Transportation and Kansas City Southern Railroad Company proposed closing six railroad crossings in south Columbus while installing flashing lights and automatic gates at six other crossings along the same route.

The changes would have required no funding from the city. MDOT would have picked up that cost from its allotment of federal funds for those kinds of projects.

To gauge public support, MDOT held a public hearing where citizens could voice their opinions. While there was some support for the plan, many people were vehemently opposed. The city council quietly tabled the proposal at its next regular meeting.

We believe it is time to resume the discussions, specifically concerning safety equipment.

According to information from the Federal Railroad Administration and MDOT, there are 85 public railroad crossings within the city limits of Columbus. A little less than half of those crossings are equipped with lights and gates. The remainder are “passive crossings,” which rely on yield signs, stop signs and highway markings.

Columbus has a high number of crossings because six railroad companies have routes through the city.

Nationally, about 54% of municipal crossings have electronic equipment, so Columbus is not far from that average. However, the volume of train traffic means the city’s crossings are busier than most. That means there is also a greater potential for car-train collisions.

Installing a basic system of lights and two gates is not cheap. Each installation costs between $250,000 and $400,000.

In many cases, cities don’t pay anything. The Railway-Highway Crossings Program (Section 130) distributes hundreds of millions of dollars annually to states. Section 130 grants typically cover 90% of the installation cost. The remaining cost is picked up by state transportation agencies, in this case MDOT.

The city could mitigate some of those costs by closing some crossings, especially where crossings currently exist only a few hundred feet from each other.

Making those crossings safer at little cost and with only a minor loss of convenience is something the city should actively pursue.

The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.