I do feel some sympathy for the residents of the Graham Avenue area as I am sure that their complaints are real and that they do get awaken at night by the sound of train whistles.
On the other hand, the railyard has been where it is since this town was founded, long before many of those homes were there and before many of those residents were even born. You would think that when purchasing a piece of property directly above an industrial area which includes a rail line and yard that you would expect to hear train whistles blowing at all hours.
I do realize that during our economic downturn that there has been little rail traffic and therefore people have become accustomed to little traffic or noise from the area. For many years that area was even busier than it is now.
Also, CN has to protect themselves from liability. If they are not sounding their warning devices, whether it be a horn, lights or whatever, and someone gets hurt or killed they will be liable.
With that being said, if there is a way to reduce the noise while not comprimising safety then perhaps that is something that should be considered.
This is just like people who move to the country for a pastoral, peaceful life and then complain about the smell of cowshit.
What will those pesky Graham Avenuers complain about next?
Perhaps the smell from JS McMillans reduction plant?
Or maybe the engine noise from the freighters coming and going?
Or how about those darn tugboats coming and going at all hours?
All of the above mentioned were pre-existing conditions before most of the complainers decided to purchase houses in that area.
And none of those issues are as annoying as the whistles–and the whistles have only became a real annoyance after full operations at the port started.
Why do you care about the residents in that area trying to better their own neighbourhood? If you have your own issues on your block, get a group of people together and try and make a difference.
If City Council says no, they say no–but at least the people in that area take the initiative and try to fix the problem through proper channels rather than making “Dudley do not” threads and the like.
As for addressing the arguements of others, Mig–the only valid argument against the removal of whistles is public safety. However, the only residential area I’ve ever experienced that has train whistles, rather than an automated gate and lights, is Prince Rupert. I like one block from a train crossing, a crossing that merges onto a major highway, and I’ve never once heard a whistles because the crossing has an automatic gate and lights.
Oh–and yea, I can understand that the sirens come on 6-7 times a day–but I said dozens, as in more than 1 set of 12 (or 13 if you happen to be a baker)–so yea… don’t know why you threw out 6 to 7… and if they truly annoy you then you could always provide a petition with possible solutions for the problem to City Council.
As a side note, lots of people have mentioned the fact that Graham residents knew they were above train tracks when they bought the property.
If memory serves me, some Graham residents actually took legal action against CN many years ago(we’re talking at least 15 I think) because of excessive noise–or something of the sort. So, there is precident that applies to the situation we have here.
Can’t knock the residents for trying but the issue of safety is the key issue and it cannot be ignored. I hope that a reasonable solution can be found that will benefit all parties.
For several years, I lived in a small interior BC community and owned a home less than 500 feet from a rail crossing. Every night I was waken by the sounds of the train maikng it’s approach to the crossing. I became used to it as it always passed within minutes. Mind you, it was only 2 or 3 times a night but it was however, a crossing that was no more than 100 feet from the nearest house. So there are other crossings within residential areas that use train whistles and other communities with similar issues.