[RP TownTalk] Hyattsville council discusses RxR quiet zone for Decatur crossing

[Vernon Archer]

Hi Dwight,

And since you asked I'll go ahead and put out some news I was holding until
I finalized.  RP is in the final stages of its quest for a quiet zone and
we expect to have the answer--presumably granting a quiet zone--late in the
Spring.  Yes, I'm being purposely vague because so many of the due dates
have been missed over the last several years. Councilman Ebbeler has
quietly pressed this matter for several years and Town Administrator Imhulse
has kept the process steadily moving forward. Honestly it has been such a
paper work exercise that it doesn't really lend itself to news or even blog
posts.

Referencing your ending Dwight wanting "CSX to turn down the noise, I would
be all for it!" let me caution you as to what a quiet zone actually is.
Simply put the engineer will not be required to blow the horn at the
crossing.  The discretion then will lie exclusively with that driver and
his judgement.  Considering that half of the intersection is largely
obscured by the trolley building/Archie Edwards Blues building, there is
significant pedestrian crossing on both sides of the intersection for
several 100 feet in both directions, knowing that crossing gates do
occasionally malfunction, there has been 2 pedestrian fatalities and 2
auto/truck/bus accidents in the past 5 years, and it takes 100s of yard to
stop a train even when moving at slow speeds, I wont be surprised if the
train's driver errs on the side of caution and makes liberal use of his/her
horn. But to the degree possible I certainly do join you Dwight in being
all for CSX turning down the noise.

Sincerely,

Vern

On Mon, Feb 9, 2015 at 10:44 PM, Dwight Holmes <dwightrholmes at gmail.com>
wrote:

> The Hyattsville Life & Times's new issue reports on discussions at
> Hyattsville's city council re the process of applying for a quiet zone for
> the Decatur St CSX crossing.  You can access the article here:
>
>
> http://hyattsvillelife.com/council-discusses-moving-forward-with-csx-quiet-zone/
>
> This short paragraph grabbed my attention:
> "In Oct. 2010, Riverdale Park completed upgrades of the CSX crossing at
> Queensbury Road after multiple motor vehicle accidents, according to a City
> of Hyattsville memo. One of those accidents reportedly included a bus in
> March 2009."
>
> I don't trust my memory for much of anything anymore, but I don't recall
> that a rash of accidents was given as a reason for the upgrade.  (Anyone
> knowing otherwise, please correct me!)  I thought that it was done - or at
> least was originally initiated by then-council member Rob Oppenheim - as a
> necessary step in the process of attaining quiet zone status.  And I do
> remember that the process of upgrading the crossing gates, from start to
> finish, took an amazingly long time, and certainly was begun well prior to
> March, 2009.  In fact, looking back in my email just now, I see that I
> posted to TownTalk in March, 2008 that CSX was unloading equipment as part
> of the installation of the new gates!
>
> Anyway, I'd be interested to hear from Mayor Archer or one of our council
> members what the status is of the quiet zone application process? Is it
> something the town is still actively pursuing? If so, are there any signs
> of progress?  What step of the process are on at this point?  (The HL&T
> article links to the Federal Railroad Administration's "How To Create A
> Quiet Zone" PDF, here <http://www.fra.dot.gov/eLib/details/L03055>.)
>
> Presumably none of us moved here not knowing there was a railroad in
> town.  Personally, I've always been fond of train horns (and trains in
> general).  But given the fortress nature of our new upgraded crossing
> gates, the volume *and* duration of the horn blowing does seem excessive.
> If it's within our powers to force CSX to turn down the noise, I would be
> all for it!
>
> Dwight Holmes
> Half-a-block from the tracks :)
>
>
>
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-- 
Vernon Archer, Mayor
Town of Riverdale Park, Maryland
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