(The Pioneer Press online posted the following article by Jennifer Zegler on January 7.)
CHICAGO — Residents who have had to endure the sounds of train whistles at all hours of the day may be able to rest soundly later this year.
The Federal Railroad Administration recently announced a new ruling which will allow local communities to impose train horn restrictions at railroad crossings — given those crossings meet other safety requirements.
Many villages in the northwest suburbs have had either pre-existing “quiet zones” or “whistle bans” for 20 years or less. Those bans were overshadowed following the passing of the Federal Railroad Safety Authorization Act of 1994. That federal act required train whistles to be blown a quarter mile before reaching a highway-railroad crossing, regardless of state or local regulations, in order to prevent collisions or deaths at the intersections.
When the FRA’s Interim Final Rule goes into effect Dec. 18, 2004, the guidelines will determine when the horn is to be sounded at public crossings and private crossings with quiet zones. If a quiet zone is equipped with flashing lights and gates on both sides of the intersection and other safety measures that compensate for the loss of the train-horn warning, a passing train will not have to sound its horn.
“We’re obviously very pleased that the train horn will not be required,” Arlington Heights Police Cmdr. Richard Niedrich said. “We have a large population center downtown. The horns negatively impacted the quality of life downtown.”
According to Sam Trakas, Palatine’s assistant manager, village officials there are still formulating an opinion on the new rule.
Mixed feelings
“At the moment we’re mixed about the rule,” Trakas explained. “We’re encouraged that the FAR gave specific attention to the Chicagoland area as a special case. But we’re concerned about the costs of the safety measures.”
Palatine already has a whistle ban in its area because there are so many railroad-street intersections in a such a short distance from each other, Trakas said.
In order to fully qualify for quiet zone status under the FRA’s new rule, communities must prove that no relevant collisions have occurred within the past five years at intersections in existing quiet zones. These intersections may be required to add supplementary safety measures, such as non-mountable curbs, to compensate for the lack of the warning from train horns.
Additional provisions may be imposed on communities who want to apply for quiet zone status following the implementation of the rule next year. Those additional safety measures may include installation of crossing gates that block both lanes of traffic in both directions and a median divider to prevent drivers from crossing lanes to go around a lowered gate.
Substitute horns
Villages may also be required to install automated wayside horns — stationary horns at gates — to substitute for the locomotive horns. Other alternative measures include cameras for ticket enforcement at the gates and education programs.
Arlington Heights is currently participating in a PEERS study about the impact of safety education on pedestrians and motorists at railroad crossings. The PEERS study was kicked off in September and will continue until next September, when a statistical analysis will be made, Niedrich explained.
“I’m very optimistic about the ability of educating the public about the dangers of grade-crossings,” Niedrich said. “This will be positive for the community.”
Once the FRA’s rule goes into effect, communities with pre-existing quiet zones that do not have adequate safety measures will have eight years to comply with the regulations outlined in the ruling.
FRA officials are still inviting public comment on the proposals, adding that these opinions could influence the safety regulations said by the time the Interim Final Rule goes into effect. Public opinions are welcomed http://dms.dot.gov until Feb. 17.