I heard this on WCBS on the drive back from Albany the other day. Apparently the LIRR is attamepting to address residents’ concerns about horn noise at grade crossings by installing lower pitch stationary horns that would automatically activate with other crossing signals.
For a minute, I thought you were talking about the Louisville and Indiana. Their alternatve appears to be less trains . . .
Gabe
Forgive me
I may get flamed for this…but having lived close to a rail line years back I still feel no sympathy for residents demanding quiet zones. If one chooses to live near busy tracks, then they have no reason to whine as they know exactly what they’re going to be living with. Seems strange that just after WWII when there were far more rail lines than today, and many trains ran at much faster speeds that this didn’t seem to be a major issue. Oh yeah, many people today have an “entitlement” mentality and are incredibly spoiled. I keep forgetting that.
Grade crossing units with audible warning devices have been around for a few years. They’re expensive to purchase and maintain. Who pays for them? Depending upon what part of the U.S you’re in…the taxpayers (via federal government grants), the local municipal government (still taxpayers), with the railroad agency still sharing the cost.
Now a dumb question:
If a motorist approaches downed gates equipped with audible sound…he or she chooses to go through them anyway; gets wiped out by a 50 mph LIRR commuter train. The family of the motorist, of course, decides to sue LIRR and hire a hot shot lawyer. Even after its discovered that the motorist’s car stereo had been at Full Blast before impact. Will the railroad stand its ground? Or does it “settle”?
Settling may be cheaper but if that’s the case then why go through the incredible expense and hassle in the first place? IMHO, the railroad company and especially the traumatized train crew should sue the plaintiffs instead.
Here in Florida during the “back and forth” debates about quiet zones the idea of the residents sharing the costs is still being argued (IMHO it’s an excellent idea!).
My apologies for the rant.
[#ditto]
Rant on, brother.
What is there to debate about the nimbys paying for what they want???
I think they’ve only got one train a day of their own. CSX has been using them, though.
Ditto. We get the same kind of encroachment in the military. People move out away from the city, but it happens to be next to long-existing Special Use Airspace, including bombing ranges. Then they gripe about the noise. Ridiculous. Unfortunately, their congressmen always seems to coddle them into thinking something “might need to be done,” instead of telling them to shut the hell up.
Exactly. Even with horns blaring, people manage to squeeze money out of the RR after a grade crossing accident. What makes a RR feel any more secure about litigation by becoming quieter???
thats an interesting take on it, if the gate runners sue the railroad and settle the train crew should sue them and get that money. LOL, couldn’t be real hard to show trama for hitting them and reap some of the bounty off the stupidity of others.
That’s why every locomotive should have a video camera (with external sound) mounted by the front window.
Cost of camera: $5000
Cost of installation and maintenance: $1000
Savings from frivolous lawsuits: $bazillions
The look on the faces of the survivors and their shyster as the video plays showing the car running the gates: Priceless
Zardoz, you’re right on target.
For today’s lawsuit happy society it seems that cameras mounted on locomotives could potentially “Knock Out” some of these lawsuits that have little or not merit.