Courtesy of: Derek Cashman
FLAGSTAFF (NAZ Today) – The city of Flagstaff is set to celebrate “The Last Train Horn,” as a Quiet Zone will be established.
The public is invited to a celebration to commemorate the establishment of the long awaited train horn Quiet Zone throughout the city. The event will be held on Tuesday, March 2nd at 2pm at the Visitors Center at the Historic Train Station in Downtown Flagstaff.
“This is a long-awaited and historic moment for our community, and we hope citizens who have an interest or played a role in the creation of the quiet zone can join us to recognize the years of work that have lead up to this day and celebrate a quiet, but safe, Flagstaff,” expressed City Manager Kevin Burke.
Information on presentations can be obtained from Randy Whitaker at (928) 226-4844.
I guess I should want to celebrate but I don’t. The sound of the wind in the pines and the train going through town mean home to me.
Mary Simpson hit a chord. Flagstaff has lost part of its “sense of place” to the monotony of modern life. What is Elko without trains rumbling down two city streets? What is Reno with its “train trench”? What is Flagstaff without the mountain echoes of a passing train? Maybe safer………..but very, very boring.
ARD
Since I work next to the track, I am very excited about the lack of train noise. However, I am astonished that we the tax payers spent almost 1.5 million on this project. All we got were extra little signs, a couple of horns, and some fancy metal fencing. We were told that we were going to have extra car gates, pedistrain gates, and blockades. How long is it before someone is going to die, and once that happens, the noise will return. This city spends first and thinks second. Don’t get me started on the $ 750,000 bike path less than a football field length that goes to no where and will hardly be used.
The days when the railroad was the main mode of transportation are over, and this is a reflection of how insignificant they have become. I don’t think anyone would have a problem with them sounding their horns at a normal volume (sub 40 decibals) and during daytime hours only, but railroads refuse to negotiate on the noise levels, and ridiculously insist that it is for public safety. Please – the only reason they sound their horns so loudly is to let everyone know they are there in an attempt to remain relevant. If someone is stupid enough to get hit by a train moving at 3mph, horn or no horn, gates or no gates, they probably deserve it. The underlying reason that cities have to spend so much money on these quiet zones is that the railroads refuse to budge on the horn volume levels. So don’t blame the city, blame the railroad company.
J.T. demonstrates the meaning of ignorance. However I’ll limit my comment to one point. Federal Regulations dictate when and when not a horn is sounded at a grade crossing. Why do you think the city had to apply to the Feds to implement it? As for relevance, maybe refer to freight volume and statistics.