This presentation by Bill Blackmore is so thorough and well-organized he can't possibly be in TMO management -- maybe he's an engineer of some sort, anybody know? As far as the cost of doing the installations that will meet safety reqs, ex-city councilman Tom Stanley gave $250,000 to build the new Civic Center -- maybe he or some other well-off Fairfielder will give the necessary money to allow quiet enjoyment of the Civic Center events.
> > Quiet Trains Information and Update > > We now have about 300 people on the QT email distribution list. As > usually happens with an issue like this, once you start looking at > it, people come along who know a lot and share that knowledge with > you, and you gradually figure it out for yourself. This has > certainly been the case for me over the last couple of weeks. My > main sources of information have been Ed Malloy and John Revolinski. > For this QT initiative to be successful, we all have to have a better > understanding of why we have train noise, what can be done to > eliminate it, and how City of Fairfield politics play into the > equation. Here are the basics as I have learned thus far: > > 1. Why do the trains honk so much as they pass through town? > The short answer is that they are required to do so by Federal > statute. I was told that each train is required to give 3 long > blasts and 3 short ones for EACH crossing. Fairfield has 9 in all, > from D St. on the east to 23rd on the west end of town. So by law > each engineer needs to honk 54 times as they pass through town. If > you want to delve into the statute, go to > <http://www.fra.dot.gov/us/content/1318>http://www.fra.dot.gov/us/cont ent/1318. > > 2. What are the potential solutions? First, I would like to say > that I am not interested in spending either time or money on a > partial solution. An example of a partial solution would be a quiet > zone of at least ¸ mi. where the City has either closed crossings > permanently or implemented an SSM (Federal bureaucrat speak for an > approved ãsupplemental safety measureä). The SSM most often > discussed is the installation of a barrier or median that runs 100â > on either side of a crossing that prevents motorists from changing > lanes and driving through the crossing. This solution is not > inexpensive, and requires that each street be converted to one way > for 100â, and all alleys within that 100â have to be closed. There > is little enough support on our City Council for addressing train > noise, and the ensuing complaints about this solution would make > success improbable. The other solution is to close certain > crossings within the City. Those that have been discussed in this > context are 8th St. (which may be closed sometime soon), 3rd St., and > Main St. The 3rd. St. crossing is problematic due to the presence of > Ideal Concrete. However, they may move once the bypass is completed. > But closing some or all of these crossings would be a political > battle of some proportion, and would only allow the trains to not > sound their horns at the closed crossings. I donât believe this > would deliver the overall improvement in quality of life that we want > for our fair city. > > 3. Is there a better solution? Fortunately, I believe that the > answer may be YES. The name for this SSM is ãwayside hornsä. > Wayside horns are mounted at each crossing along with the existing > crossing infrastructure. They sound automatically as a train > approaches and alert motorists, along with the usual crossing guard > and lights. They also are designed to alert the train engineers if > they are not functioning normally, so they can think honk like they > do now. If you are intrigued, I suggest you read > <http://www.railroadcontrols.com/ahs/Evaluation_of_an_Automated_Horn_W arning_System_at_Three_Highway- Railroad_Grade_Crossings_in_Ames_Iowa.pdf>http://www.railroadcontrols. com/ahs/Evaluation_of_an_Automated_Horn_Warning_System_at_Three_Highwa y-Railroad_Grade_Crossings_in_Ames_Iowa.pdf. > This is a report done by the Iowa Dept. of Transportation and the > City of Ames about 3 crossings that had wayside horns installed in > 1999. I find some very important pieces of information in this > report. First, meditators in Fairfield are not the only ones who are > bothered by train noise. Second, the residents around these 3 > crossings in Ames were VERY pleased with the results. Finally, and > perhaps most important, the 26 railroad engineers surveyed (Union > Pacific passes through Ames) felt the wayside horns were as safe or > safer than the traditional practice of sounding train mounted horns. > I plan to visit Ames to see these horns in action as soon as > possible, and get information on the cost of the systems. > > 4. What is the current state of local politics on this issue? > Some years ago, when asked by local residents to consider closing > some crossings that would lead to a partial quiet zone in town, the > Safety Committee of the City Council (CC) considered the issue, got > some community input, and then passed a resolution saying that they > not only rejected the idea, but would NEVER consider it again! There > have been some changes in the CC since this time, but my best guess > is that today the vote would still be 5-2 or at best 4-3 against > taking any action. We are fortunate nonetheless to have the support > of Mayor Ed Malloy and CC member John Revolinski. > > 5. Would a lot of political pressure and activism help the > cause? Right now I believe that the answer is no. Given the makeup > and attitudes of the CC, I think if we assaulted them with emails, > calls, and letters, they would only dig in their heels. This would > also put the matter into the public light, and cause the opposition > to gear up efforts to block a city wide quiet zone. However, once > the economics and issues related to a comprehensive solution are > determined, we will need to work to build consensus within the > community. In short, picking a fight will just cause a fight, and > make things worse. > > 6. What is the bottom line? As usual, its money. Once we > determine the cost of a wayside horn system for all 9 crossings, and > the potential revenue from the Burlington Northern Sante Fe Railroad > (BNSF) for closing a few of our crossings, we can consider how best > to educate the entire community and how to either raise the required > amount of money or make the case for the City covering the cost or > part thereof. > > I hope this information will be useful to you. I have found it quite > enlightening, and am optimistic that there could be a real solution > in the not totally distant future. Some of the emails I have > received have offered financial support. My wife Martha and I are > willing to contribute personally to the cost of a real solution, and > I believe many others would do the same. I believe this would > enhance the value of our home near the tracks by making the area much > quieter and more ãlivableä. Add this to our new Civic Center, and I > think we could have a real impact on the railroad corridor and the > neighborhoods that are most affected by train noise. > > Once we have a good estimate of the cost of the wayside horn solution > I will let everyone know and then we can consider how to proceed. By > the way, given the demands of my job, I have a very limited ability > to answer emails, especially during the week. That is why my main > effort is to share the information that has been given to me. When > the time is right, either weâll meet or set up some sort of forum so > we can discuss how to proceed. > > Thanks for your interest and support. > > Regards, Bill Blackmore > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > QT Initiative > To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! 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