The Toledo Blade has an interesting article about the change in Federal Regulations regarding trains blowing their whistles when approaching a road crossing. As always anything that the Federal Government creates may have the impression of doing something to solve a problem yet the procedure to make these quiet zones is expensive and time consuming.
To compensate for the lack of an audible warning to motorists, regulations that the Federal Railroad Administration placed in effect in June require municipalities or highway authorities to install "supplemental safety measures," in addition to typical automated gates and flashing lights, at many crossings.
Plastic paddles that serve as a median barrier to prevent motorists from driving around lowered warning gates, among the least-expensive options, cost as much as $30,000 to $40,000 per intersection, according to Fostoria Mayor John Davoli, whose city hopes to establish "quiet zones" along three rail lines that have a combined 24 street crossings in town.
It's clear from the article linked above that the Railroad companies are not going to be expected to contribute nor am I sure they could legally be expected to though it is something to consider. I've lived near the same train tracks almost my whole life, on one side or the other, at this point I am living in the second closet location to them. Train traffic has increased, and this time living closer to a crossing you hear the train whistles not only all day but all night. It's obvious leaving your bedroom windows open at night during the summer is not going to be an option here.
Do I have the right to quiet? People who lived near the Airport when the Burlington flights started certainly felt so. It appears it is close to the same situation, granted they lived near an airport but the type of flight changed which should be similar to the increase in train traffic.
Why is this necessary in the first place? The whole warning started as a safety precaution for crossings that do not have gates or when gates fail. The concept that people should look or listen before driving thru a railroad crossing especially at night seems to be more than we should expect. When I lived in Fulton County, near the same tracks there were several crossings that did not have gates. In 2004, there were 82,000 crossings without gates in the United States; their accident rate was seven times that of crossings with gates that block vehicles. Train vs vehicle accidents happen an average of 9 times a day which is less than 15% of all vehicle related accidents.
If the township I live in did have the money to install the extra safety precautions for the several crossings where there are homes the next question came to mind as well. The gates on the road I live on fail often, sticking in the down position. If that is blocked with the new plastic paddle system that prevents a drive around things could get pretty dicey around here. Given the number of times this happens? Maintenance for these gates would have to be stepped up.
So in the end, as I lay in bed and hear the warning signals, and long for a bit more quiet at times (especially when there are six or seven in a row) I realize that the real blame for this doesn't lie with the trains, or even the Federal government. The true reason for this interruption in the night is those who can't follow the common sense of "Stop, Look, Listen" when approaching a train crossing with a gate/warning system (or one without a gate/warning system). Our government once again creating laws to protect those who really should know better.
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18 comments:
And, a more important question to ask, is who decided that government is our nanny? This seems to me to fit into the category of "somebody should do something ....". Unfortunately, it turns out to be my tax money, my peace and quiet, my burden to protect some other person from being stupid. If someone decides to go around the gates, or cross when the lights are flashing, and they get hit, isn't that their fault? What happened to the idea that individuals are responsible for their outcomes? That seems to be a bit of common sense that is severely lacking in today's world.
We decided that government needed to be our nanny's. Not you and I but the majority that keeps allowing it to happen. We keep electing those that think they have to "protect" us.
Lisa,
In a past life, I lived in a house on a very busy street that was also a route to the local (then) A&P warehouse, so more noise there. To boot, about a block away were train tracks running diagonally behind our house. In those days, this was also a busy train line, as was the warehouse down the road.
I never missed a minute's sleep because I was accustomed to the traffic/trains. To me, it was normal background noise.
You may find yourself getting used to it in time.
re: "Our government once again creating laws to protect those who really should know better."
If they didn't:
1. After a while, the law would become unnecessary.
2. A cleaner gene pool would raise up the average I.Q.
;-)
Once I fall asleep it doesn't bother me HT, from years of living near the tracks and at one time both by the tracks and under the nightly BAX route - lol.
It's just the point it wouldn't be necessary except for the idiots that are in such a hurry they ignore the sign that says "Train Crossing".
The people next door couldn't take it, they were not used to it.
:-)
I forgot about BAX.
When my mom was at Spring Meadows, she would always bit.. err, complain about it.
When they take off at 6:00 a.m. on weekends and they use the eastern runway, we get them now.
I still don't hear them unless I'm already awake though...
LOL, when I lived in Tacoma, Washington I was on the edge of McChord AFB's flight patterns. During normal times, their landing corridor was about 5 miles away from my house. During emergencies and alerts, the landing corridor shifted much closer to my house. I always knew when something military was going on because the really big planes would fly over my house to land. A B-52 or C-5 does amazing things to your house when it's only 500 feet up!
HT, I definitely think the gene pool could use some cleaning up.
Lisa, I didn't, and don't, vote for nanny politicians. Do you? So, who's the boneheads doing it? Maybe we should buy them all one way plane tickets to France, Sweden and Germany?
Eric, I try not to vote for those who will end up being nanny's. I usually vote libertarian for President. Locally I support whoever I think will do the best job rather than which party they are. I'd like to see alot more independent/third party people get a chance but around here it's a miracle if more than one new person is elected and most times they are not much different from those elected before. There have been alot of times I didn't vote for either especially in Congress because neither one was an option I could live with.
I'd suggest Mexico - it's cheaper there and I'd really like to turn the tide. Since we seem to get so many immigrants from there? Let's return the favor.
:-)
The nanny state mentality grows with each passing day. It works on the premise that the average American is too stupid, too lazy, or some other deficiency that would enable him/her to survive without Big Brother's help.
Some are, no doubt that dumb. When I was a cop I actually made an accident report where a woman ran into a train that had been stopped across a street for several minutes prior to her not seeing it; ran right into the side of the train. Maybe it was the flying saucer that distracted her.
However, most individuals are up to here with wasteful spending that supposedly guarantees quality of life and safety from Big Brother.
As far as the noise goes, guess we all have to live with a certain amount of it, some more than others; either that or move to the country and listen to crickets instead of airplanes, trucks and trains.
I agree TF that if the noise was really that bad I could move. What interested me was the Federal "plan" for communities to create noise free zones necessary because of those tired of the increase in the train warning whistles is not going to be possible expense wise for most communities. The fact that it is even necessary for a train to have to sound it's whistle at a track that does have a crossing exists soley because of those who drive around them without looking. I think all of us can understand the reasoning behind blowing a warning whistle at tracks that do not have a warning system at the crossing.
The cheapest and easiest solution to this would be to not drive across train tracks without looking, however? We can't count on common sense. Given the job you had for all those years? That one you probably know even more than I do.
:-)
Industrial saftey measures are an example of the nanny state? Seriously you've got to be kidding.
It's so easy to just blame the victem of an accident in any circumstance. There is no accident where this can't be done.
Brakes fail in your car so you fly off a bridge? Your fault for not maintaining your vehicle. Get shot by a robber in your own home? Your fault for not installing adequate security.
At what point do those altering our environment become responsible for those alterations? Maybe I want to install a shooting range right in front of your house. But remember, if you get shot it's your fault, it's only common sense to look both ways before you cross a firing area.
The fact is that while the government may not be entittled to protect me from myself, they ARE obligated to protect me from trains. The fact is that saftey systems get vandalized, and they rust, and they fail. That means that audible warning, or a subsitute, are needed.
It's so easy to shoot your mouth off when you're granted the clear vision of hindsight, but anyone that has ever worked in industrial health and saftey will tell you that that's just not how the human mind works. Plenty of stupid things happen to plenty of smart people. Who's ever got their shoelace caught in a door?
It's also easy to say if you don't like it just move. But that only shows that you're from a socio-economic class that would have that option. It's not the poeple living near the tracks that are imposing the noise of themselves, it's you, you're the ones consuming the goods that are arriving on those trains.
So, what is your solution then?
Lisa, anonymous solution is to further increase the nanny state, clearly. And to augment it with class warfare. That was the between the lines message of the last paragraph that anon wrote.
I got that feeling too Eric but I was trying to see if he or she had any solutions. If the government is supposed to protect us from trains yet I'm not supposed to have to move and it's all the fault of consumers? I was curious as to what his/her solution was for this situation.
:-)
My response was too long for a comment, so here's the link.
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