Bill, It's not about getting of the train. Just the whistle. If you live close by there will be still automatic whistles at crossings which have can be heard over a much more restricted area than the train whistle. Several towns in Iowa have a Quiet Zone: Burlington, Ames, LeClaire, Dennison, Nevada. Of course not all agree, but the large majority of the residents are in favor.
This report from Ames includes a survey in which 67% of residents responded they were very positive about the new quiet zone: http://www.iowadot.gov/trainhornstudy.htm It is not about changing the historical charm associated with trains. The problem is the number of trains has increased several fold to up to 70 trains per day now. And the whistle noise volume has also greatly increased due to safety requirements. So this is more about getting back to the level of noise we had in the past. And it's nothing to do with getting a train stop in Fairfield. That's an economic issue and will just not happen. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "It's just a ride" <bill.hicks.all.a.r...@...> wrote: > > On Thu, Feb 25, 2010 at 8:22 AM, brian64705 <no_re...@yahoogroups.com>wrote: > > > Thanks Rick for posting. > > > > I am organizing this talk to help the Quiet Zone finish its campaign to > > eliminate the train whistle noise in Fairfield. So whether you live close or > > far from the tracks I hope all Fairfield will support this. It's one of > > those small things we can all do which will make a big and permanent > > improvement to our collective quality of life. > > > > For me it is more than just the noise... it really is an affront to the > > dignity of the city to be assaulted by this noise 24/7. I plan to organize > > once a month lectures like this till the funds are raised. So if you have an > > interesting talk you'd like to present please let me know. And if you have > > ideas or would like to help in any way please contact the Fairfield Quiet > > Zone through the website www.FairfieldQuietZone.org > > > > many thanks! > > > > Brian > > > > > Get rid of the train whistle? Please. Don't do it. I have lived very near > the RR tracks in FF and that whistle is one of the many things I savor about > FF. Wouldn't y'all like to have the train still stop in downtown FF? I > would. Imagine getting on the train and going to Chicago or Denver. > > You lose a lot when you get rid of the train and its whistle. I am very > happy that my town has a spanking new light rail system and that the tracks > are just a few feet away from where I live. It's so invigorating to hear > that train go rambling by. And I'm a guy who does program at home with ear > plugs in. The sound of the train makes you feel alive and connected again. > Connected to a former time when life moved at a slower pace and friends > really were friends. >
