<div dir="ltr">Hi Dwight,<div><br></div><div>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 <span class="" id=":1ma.1" tabindex="-1">Ebbeler</span> has quietly pressed this matter for several years and Town Administrator <span class="" id=":1ma.2" tabindex="-1">Imhulse</span> 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. </div><div><br></div><div>Referencing your ending Dwight wanting "<span style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><span class="" id=":1ma.3" tabindex="-1">CSX</span> 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 <span class="" id=":1ma.5" tabindex="-1">train's</span> 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 <span class="" id=":1ma.6" tabindex="-1">CSX</span> turning down the noise. </span></div><div><span style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:12.8000001907349px">Sincerely,</span></div><div><span style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:12.8000001907349px">Vern</span></div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Feb 9, 2015 at 10:44 PM, Dwight Holmes <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:dwightrholmes@gmail.com" target="_blank">dwightrholmes@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr">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:<br><br><a href="http://hyattsvillelife.com/council-discusses-moving-forward-with-csx-quiet-zone/" target="_blank">http://hyattsvillelife.com/council-discusses-moving-forward-with-csx-quiet-zone/</a><br><br>This short paragraph grabbed my attention:<br>"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."<br><br>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!<br><br>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, <a href="http://www.fra.dot.gov/eLib/details/L03055" target="_blank">here</a>.)<div><br></div><div>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!</div><span class="HOEnZb"><font color="#888888"><div><br></div><div>Dwight Holmes</div><div>Half-a-block from the tracks :)<br><div><br></div><div><br></div></div></font></span></div>
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