[RP TownTalk] Fwd: Trains and Horns

[Alice Ewen]

Dwight:

My understanding of the process is that the safety upgrade is a
pre-requisite to being able to submit a request for a quiet zone, but
getting a quiet zone approved is a multi-year process with many hurdles. I
believe I was told Kensington has pursued for many years and still not
gotten approval.

At this point, I can't recall who I consulted at MD Dept of Transportation,
but the gist of the summary was this: upgrading the safety of the
intersection is good, but it is very unlikely that we will be able to get a
quiet zone approved given the number of crossings. And, Rob is correct that
we would need a consultant to move that process to the next step - it is a
substantial application that would need to be prepared by a technical
consultant.

I agree, it would be an improvement, and it is a goal to work toward, even
if it is a long process.

Alice




On Sat, May 22, 2010 at 9:11 PM, Dwight Holmes <dwightrholmes at gmail.com>wrote:

> This isn't exactly how I recall Rob's post - maybe there was yet
> another one on the topic - but it's the only one I found on the topic;
> from 3 years ago, prior to the installation of the new 4-way crossing
> gates.
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Rob Oppenheim <rob.oppenheim at comcast.net>
> Date: Mon, Apr 16, 2007 at 4:41 AM
> Subject: Re: [RP TownTalk] Trains and Horns
> To: TownTalk <towntalk at riverdale-park.org>
>
>
> I (and David Hiles before me) have been working to have the train
> horns silenced.
>
> To do so, we have to raise the safety of the crossing high enough to
> have the area declared a quiet
> zone. Later this year, we are scheduled to get 4-way gates installed.
> This will be a giant step
> forward in making the intersection safer.
>
> The Maryland house and senate recently passed bill HB509 that will
> allow us to install advanced
> enforcement systems that can dramatically increase the safety of the
> crossing.
> I lobbied hard for this bill, and I am very excited that it passed.
>
> The town council approved adding two street lamps to the crossing, and
> we are looking into
> getting special train track lighting to discourage cars from turning
> onto the tracks (the most
> common set up to an accident). I also hope to have the sidewalks and
> curbs improved.
>
> Most importantly, I hope to get the council to appropriate funds in
> next years budget to hire
> a consultant that specializes in quiet zones to help us thru the maze
> of regulations.
>
> Silencing the train horns will improve the quality of life for us all,
> and it will make the town center
> much more attractive to prospective businesses. It may be the single
> most important economic
> development item we can undertake.
>
> I know that some of you are nostalgic for the sound of the horns. Yet
> many others find them
> painfully loud. I hope you won't miss them too badly when their gone!
> Getting them silenced
> is a long and difficult project, but we made great headway on it this year.
>
> Rob Oppenheim
>
> Ward One Councilman, Riverdale Park
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-- 
Alice C. Ewen
Councilwoman, Ward 1
Town of Riverdale Park MD
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