(The following story by Robert C. Herguth was published in the January 22 issue of the Chicago Sun-Times.)
CHICAGO, Ill. — A horn system that is installed at rail crossings and activates whenever a train passes is a good alternative to requiring trains to sound their whistles at almost every crossing, a North Shore congressman said Tuesday, touting a suburban study on the controversial subject.
The proposed “federal rule put forward by the Clinton Administration in 1999 was to require the train to blow its whistle at every intersection regardless of the quiet zones established by the local community or the hour of the day,” said U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.).
“This was in response to some safety problems in Florida where they have more of a ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ driving culture: Hit the gas when you see the signals, something Illinois drivers do not do.”
His solution: Rather than have a “one size fits all” rule, or spend millions of dollars on safety enhancements such as grade separations and four-quadrant gates to get around a whistle requirement, install “automated wayside horn systems” at crossings deemed dangerous.
The study, released Tuesday in Lake County, indicated such equipment did a good job at keeping cars from driving around lowered crossing gates–based on a reduction in citations issued to motorists–yet is much less noisy than train whistles, officials said.
Also, the equipment, tested at a handful of Mundelein area railroad crossings, is less expensive at about $52,000 a pop, officials said.
Chicago area residents were angry with the proposed federal rule because of the noise it would generate.
The Federal Railroad Administration has expressed a willingness to be flexible, but it’s unclear what the final rule, to be released this year, will entail.
Kirk said he talked to rail agency chief Allan Rutter on Tuesday about the study. An agency spokesman said previous studies on wayside technology were inconclusive, and the agency’s own findings will be included in the final rule.