It doesn't matter what safety issues they decide on you are going to have some idiot that gets tired of waiting for the train to pass and decides just to climb on the car and walk across to the other side of the car and climb down. I work down there sometimes and seen this act in disbelief. The only viable way to truely make the crossing safe is to put an underpass in but that is alot of money and we don't want to talk about that. Or the above ground passage like they put across the tracks by the arena but again that is alot of money and we don't want to talk about that. We want to get out of this the cheapest way we can and if some people still get hurt well we will worry about it then because there hasn't been a major accident down there since 1998.

I'm sure this is not the case... or is it ? Seems to me whenever I am on jury duty  and park in that little lot just south of the tracks that the trains purposely time it to be there at 7:30 to 8:00 am - 11:30 am to 1:00 pm and 4:00 to 5:00 pm.... just an observation.

Yes gsisola, I've noticed that as well. Seems to me that trains sit at the downtown crossings at least every other day between 7:45 and 8:00, and quite a few 5:00s as well. But have you noticed the occasional horn blowing that still occurs after midnight? Two or three train conductors duel it out for minutes on end, each daring the other to stop first.

No mattloch.... I live in the SW... but I do hear train horns from time to time.

Mattloch: The city would not put the safety improvements in because they cost money, and there's not a lot of call for it. There are few accidents and fewer deaths out there. Safety improvements wouldn't save a lot of lives, because there aren't a lot of lives being lost.

Another point Gardner makes that didn't make the story (he makes a lot of points) is that most fatalities are either suicides or a case of someone trying to beat the train. Blowing a horn isn't likely to make a difference in either case.

You can make the calculations yourself at the Quiet Zone Calculator at the Federal Railroad Administration site. Note you'll have to register for a password to get access; but then you can save your quiet zones.

RBroun: Actually, a pedestrian overpass is on the table. It's in the $8 million package.

This is a rather thorny issue with three dynamics that I see:

1. Public safety -- this will always be an issue.  There is a fine balance between keeping the public safe and taking all necessary precautions.  Funny thing here is the horns are blown to keep people safe, but now the people find them to be a nuisance.

2. Cost to the City -- It will cost the city many $$$ to implement this plan -- and then what if somebody is injured from a train that they did not hear coming because it could not blow its horn?  Talk about major liability issues, and the threat of the City being sued.

3. Good representative democracy -- The Councilmembers must represent the will of their constituents.

So, if the constituents want something done about the train whistles, then they should automatically drop all arguments about the City spending too much money on this project.  In this case, you can't have your cake and eat it too.

If it were me?  I would land on the side of caution and allow the horns to still blow.  In this day and age, you can never be too careful.  The City must CYA at all costs...

It's unforunate that, those folks who have bought their homes in the area where the train is heard (corner of 13th &L) has already got 80% hearing lost due to the exposure. Just think what it would be like to further the exposure to high pitch sounds from the trains for everyone. We'd all be using ASL to communicate.

And 800,000. for a GRAPE room????  Pfttttttt Cut that out of the plans and use the money towards keeping it quiet along the tracks.