Turning Off The Train Whistles
Those of us near railroad tracks may eventually be living in a much more quiet world. Anyone that lives within a mile or so of the railroad crossing at Jahnke road is familiar with the blare of the 18 CSX and 6 Amtrak train whistles as they go through the neighborhood. I had always assumed that the noise was just a fact of live and something that couldn’t be changed. My assumption, as they often are, proved to be false.
In 2010 Councilman Samuels at the request of citizens introduced Resolution 2010-R172-2011-107 which requested that the city conduct a study into the feasibility of establishing a Quiet Zone at Hermitage Road and Leigh Street. Hugh Mosher who lives close to the Janhke crossing got wind of this resolution and thought the Janhke crossing would be an ideal Quiet Zone. Hugh gathered the signatures of over 180, like minded individuals and started talking with council members. This past week the resolution was passed out of committee unanimously and amended to request that the study include all areas of Richmond that are affected by train noise.
In June of 2005 the Federal Railroad Administration finalized the rules that allowed localities the right to establish a Quiet Zone. A Quiet Zone would mean no horns unless the engineer needs to use it for safety reasons. In order to be declared a Quiet Zone a study must be done that not only measures the noise but also any safety enhancements that must be made to the crossing. Those safety enhancements could include but aren’t limited to extending the cross arm to cover both lanes or a median barrier. The Jahnke crossing hasn’t had an accident in the past 5 years (as far back a recent study went) unlike a crossing on Broad Rock which has seen 7 accidents in the past 5 years. Safety will be a focus as the Janhke crossing does see substantial traffic and an average of 68 buses a day.
The estimated cost of the study is $60,000 and a preliminary study by city engineers puts the cost of possible improvements to the Janhke crossing at $300,000 but Hugh was told that the $300k cost could come in much lower. The proposed study would be the final arbitrator of costs. Of the 1,901 railroad crossings in Virginia only 24 are declared Quiet Zones. One of those Quiet Zones is our neighbor to the north Ashland.
The resolution is supposed to be presented at the next council meeting which is October 10th. The agenda hasn’t been released yet for that meeting so it is possible for that to change. If you support the idea of establishing a “Quiet Zone” contact your city council person and/or attend the city council meeting. The key fact to remember is that this resolution only requests a study. Once the study is done there will a new set of resolutions, meetings and possibly studies. Don’t expect the trains to be quiet anytime soon but this is definitely a step in the right direction.
If you would like to talk with Hugh and become even more active in this issue, he can be reached at 873-2239.
What a terrible idea.
I’m not sure how Mr. Samuels has gotten the idea that any noise that disturbs anyone, ever, is automatically a bad thing. I am going to request that my taxes not go towards either this study or this ridiculous “quiet zone.” Train whistles are supposed to be disturbing. So are sirens. They are designed to GET YOUR ATTENTION and GET YOU OUT OF HARM’S WAY. If either Councilman Samuels, Mr. Mosher, or anyone else who signed this petition can suggest how we can also establish an Idiot-Free Zone at railroad crossings, I’d be more willing to entertain the suggestion.
Those tracks are not new, and nobody could have possibly chosen to move within hearing distance with the hope that someday, somehow, some elected official would come up with a resolution to stop trains from blowing their horns at crossings.
Ditto to comment # 1 and # 2.
Well said Jennifer C, I agree
After a few sleepless nights wondering if the engineer wailing their horn had an ex-wife living nearby that he was trying to irritate, I’d be in favor of doing a study.
A study obviously means that they’d examine the safety impact of such an action. If it proves to be unsafe, then they wouldn’t make the change. What’s so outrageous about that? If they can remove the horns and still maintain or even improve safety at these crossings, then why not? I didn’t move here with the hopes of them ever changing, but given the choice, I say yes! let’s take a look.
I think emergency vehicle sirens are a different beast altogether. Those are used because the vehicles need to change the behavior of the cars in front of them, for an emergency situation. A train crossing a road is not an emergency situation.
“If either Councilman Samuels, Mr. Mosher, or anyone else who signed this petition can suggest how we can also establish an Idiot-Free Zone at railroad crossings, I’d be more willing to entertain the suggestion.” Here’s a suggestion, get rid of the train whistles and the idiots who jump the train crossing gates will get killed. Ergo, we’ll eventually have no more idiots. Excessive safety regulation cannot always overcome stupidity, nor should it.
How sad if this happens. Keep on tooting!
I live close enough to frequently hear the trains at night and I love to hear them! Of course I would probably think differently about them if they were directly in my back yard as I know they probably are to many in our area.
I have a friend that works for a railroad company and I passed this on to him. He works in the safety division and told me extensive studies have been done, and there is a reason why these crossings are set up the way they are. Horns save lives.
I live roughly the same distance as Mr. Mosher to the Jahnke crossing. I can easily pick out 25 cars per day blasting down Clarence Street that are a much greater noise nuisance than the train whistles.
But hey, money grows on trees, so why not piss $60k down the drain on a completely unnecessary study?
$360,000 with $60,000 of that for a study? Give me a break. Please don’t waste tax money on this…on second thought, maybe one of Mr. Flynn’s traffic circles would work here. Now that’s money well spent! :-)
I live on Boroughbridge Road between the Jahnke and Bassett crossings, with our back yard flanked by the tracks. And let me say that I am not a train hater, I have lived in proximity to train tracks all my life. But the noise generated from the train horns in this neighborhood IS EXCESSIVE. Oftentimes, the train engineers lay on their horns the entire way between these two crossings and it is obnoxious and disruptive. If the study finds that the sound is excessive (for which I signed the petition, by the way), then measures will be taken to prevent cars from crossing over the tracks when the arms are down. Arms that cross the entire length of the road would be installed. So, let me just say to Jennifer C: I speak for myself and my family, Mr. Mosher and many others nearby and on my street when I say, we didn’t buy our homes to be near the tracks, we bought our homes because we could afford them. And while we understand and even appreciate some train noise on our street, IT IS EXCESSIVE. If we could implement measures to decrease that noise and make our neighborhood a quieter and nicer AND SAFER place to live, then that’s EXACTLY what we will do. I wholeheartedly agree with FredinRVA who noted that it’s the idiots who insist on crossing over the tracks when the arms are down and the lights are flashing and NOT the lack of train horns that are the issue. If we could install full length arms that prevented this, then public safety without your precious horns would be a non-issue. It may seem like wasted money to some of you, but to me and my family, it’s a long awaited acknowledgement that our city cares about our quality of life.
To address a couple of previous comments:
#5: (::waves to Page::) What are they going to study, exactly? How politicians can justify ignoring the railroads, who have probably spent around 200 years doing safety studies? When I see “study,” my brain says “kickback.” Call me a cynic.
I’ve also seen firsthand for years that people will completely ignore the multiple tons of metal bearing down on them, until the operator puts a little something personal into it.
#6: I’m actually not just concerned about the doofi that circumvent the barriers. What if the gates malfunction? If I hear a train horn, I’m not going to venture onto the tracks until I know darn well it’s not about to hit me, regardless of whether the gates are down.
Rebecca: I can hear the horns. I can hear them right now, in fact. I wasn’t suggesting that you bought your home to be near the trains; I was pointing out that the tracks were there when you chose to move there. The trains run literally through your backyard. Bassett and Jahnke are two crossings that are very close together, and the engineers are sounding their horns for both. That’s a lot of horns.
Your latest arguments say nothing for justifying not looking into this issue but speak only of your distrust of our system and tax dollar placement. I of course agree that you should be distrustful of what happens with our local, state and federal government as of late, but this is the only way we have to deal with the issues that we have for the unforeseeable future. It’s not like if we get a quiet zone in place, then the engineers aren’t allowed to blow their horns if there is an imminent situation. Malfunctions are going to happen, with our current system or with another one. Just please, support this, because I truly believe the neighborhood will be just as safe, maybe even safer, and it will make it a nicer place to live.
First of all, does Samuels have abnormally sensitive ears? I’d love to get behind him in traffic with my airhorn.
Second, the idea that anyone thinks $60,000 to conduct a study is ludicrous! The repairs may cost $300,000, but is that really worth it just to keep from hearing a train horn? These are the estimates for one crossing? How many do they want to study?
Third, who doesn’t look for a train before crossing the tracks? Isn’t that elementary driving knowledge? Train big, car little. Look for train.
For what, $700 Million, you could grade separate the Jahnke and Bassett interchanges. Build another *BIG* bathtub sort of like the one on 195 underneath Grove, Broad, etc.
It might get tricky trying to drain the water though…
#16 (Andrew) – The original post says the study is for all areas in Richmond affected by train noise.
My view: I’m as liberal as they come, but I understand the way the fiscal winds are blowing these days. Those of us who aren’t oligarchs are all trying to tighten our belts. Train horns have been tooting for a long time; they do not represent a public health emergency. I’m sorry to anyone who lives with trains in their backyard, but 2011 is not the year to throw money on a comfort issue.
The railroads don’t want to change their train whistles. They are more concerned with the price of the coal they truck.
Especially in Richmond, VA, NASCAR-central, the corporations protect their right to make all the noise they want in the name of industry. They don’t care what citizens think.
And they will determine what is anachronistic or necessary:
http://jrnh.net/2011/10/should-we-remove-signs-of-industry-in-the-james/5241
I LOVE the sound of the train whistles and the church bells. Such a bonus to living in Westover Hills.
I’m with you, Donna.
Love the train whistles, if I ever move away from Forest Hill I know I’ll miss them.
Grade level crossings have always been notoriously dangerous. Consider this: a few generations ago, citizens fought to require train engineers blow the whistle at every crossing, for public safety reasons!
http://books.google.com/books?id=GHDpAAAAMAAJ&pg=RA6-PA22&lpg=RA6-PA22&dq=chicago+train+crossing+fatalities+1800%27s&source=bl&ots=4bvGFxoSB3&sig=M17wz9TJP1zr31_kQ9aMLywV4K0&hl=en&ei=HUiHToeeIYTp0QHbzuzVDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CE4Q6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q&f=false
Perhaps when they’re done, Hugh & Rebecca could help those who live near the airport spend 6-figures to establish a quiet zone there as well. I mean, those pesky airplanes are loud!
$60K- study a ridiculous train whistle elimination program or hire at least one extra police officer? Hmmm….
AreaMan…a bit of trivia for you…the British government paid for residents in the neighborhoods surrounding Heathrow Airport to triple-glaze their windows to cut down on noise from jumbo jets and Concorde. :o)
A suggestion for those who are bothered by the train whistles: there are ways to cut down on the noise, if you haven’t tried them already. Blown in insulation (DYI job, supplies from Lowes, cuts noise AND utility bills, adds value), storm windows (extra layer of glass cuts down noise), heavy fabric curtains (muffle noise), broad leaf evergreen hedge (muffles noise, adds value to home), are all small steps that can be taken that will improve your quality of living.
I am totally for the study and the movement against the train whistles. I think they are excessive. I’ve been up at night wondering what the heck they are doing – TRYING to wake up everyone in the neighborhood? Seriously, I think I’ve heard a conductor keep the whistle going for 10 solid minutes once.
I moved here from Houston. My best friend lives in the (relatively) affluent section of Bellaire where train whistles are banned. I’ve assumed that it was our lack of money and political power on the south side that no one was able to do anything about these whistles. I am very happy that I appear to have been wrong.
Now let’s do something about Westover Hills elementary.
Right on to everything you said, Jennifer. Please run for city council just so you can smack down every fool thing Samuels tries to pass. Do people move to the city for peace and quiet somehow?
I personally find the train horn soothing. But then again I’m not as close as those in Westover or right off Jahnke rd. In other words, I’m impartial to this.
Eliminating the sound of warning horns by trains approaching grade crossing might be the “politically correct”, progressive thing to do, but is extremely ill-conceived. One might have empathy for those who chose to live near tracks who are bothered by these horn; however, it was, after all, those citizens’ choices to live where they do. Motorists, especially those unfamiliar with the area, should not have their lives put at risk by regulations intended to compensate those who chose to live near railroads and regret their decisions. Safety must always take precedence over compensating one or more people for their own ill-considered decisions. Far too often we reward bad judgement or irresponsibility at the expense of prudence and safety.