Passenger Trains > Quiet Zones Questioned After Spate Of Deaths On SMART Tracks

The recent spate of deaths on the Sonoma-Marin SMART train tracks — four so far this month — has prompted the folks who run the system to question whether having so many quiet zones is such a good idea, according to a story in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.

Here’s the link: https://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/9792805-181/smart-considers-role-of-quiet

There is no way in hell the Marin NIMBY'S will let them discontinue the quiet zones.
They would rather shut down the service then have to listen to train horns.

PHall Wrote:
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> There is no way in hell the Marin NIMBY'S will let
> them discontinue the quiet zones.
> They would rather shut down the service then have
> to listen to train horns.

And I would bet that most of the NIMBYs don't use public transit. They would consider it beneath them.
 

"Both deaths involving SMART trains last week appear to be suicides. Blaring a horn as the train entered a crossing would not have prevented those deaths, said Supervisor David Rabbitt, a member of the SMART board."

 "In each circumstance, the engineer sounded the horn to alert the victims — a bicyclist wearing headphones and a pedestrian — that they were in the path of a fast-moving train."
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/14/19 09:47 by chrsjrcj.

If the horns need to be sounded off, than that will have to be the case. The railroad was there first. It's very unfortunate about the pedestrian deaths on the tracks. The railroad was there first and if people don't want to have to deal with the noise, then my advice to them is move away from the tracks.

chrsjrcj Wrote:
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> "In each circumstance, the engineer sounded the horn to alert the victims — a bicyclist wearing
> headphones and a pedestrian — that they were in the path of a fast-moving train."

Exactly ... there is no quiet zone when there is an emergency or the horn is needed for safety of workers or others on the track.
Eliminating quiet zones would not have prevented incidents where the person struck did not hear a train horn that was sounded.

Simple. If you don't like the railway, move. The tracks were there well before you were. Same for the idiots in Durango. If you don't like the smoke and cinders from the railway, get out. The Rio Grande was there WAY before any of you were. 

Passfanatic Wrote:
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> If the horns need to be sounded off, than that
> will have to be the case. The railroad was there
> first. It's very unfortunate about the pedestrian
> deaths on the tracks. The railroad was there first
> and if people don't want to have to deal with the
> noise, then my advice to them is move away from
> the tracks.

There was indeed a railroad in place before SMART. A track which hosted once a day freight trains, and in some places weekly services to non-existant. NIMBY's will mostly put up with such frequencies, but SMART obviously has more traffic on it's lines. lf you buy a house next to a railroad track that is mostly unused or with infrequent services, and then  sometime later trains start operating during many hours of the day, you too might be a bit unhappy about the setup, especially if you live right next to the track. 

I agree 100% that the railroad was there first and YOU have the choice as to whether or not YOU desire to live by a railroad.  The same applies to building a home near a major expressway, then complain about all the noise from the traffic.  But you know, people are that way.  It's unfortunately a ME, ME, ME world, nothing else matters.
John in White Marsh, Maryland

The NIMBYs are already screaming as they buzz around in their BMWs. The time to think it over was before the NIMBYs were appeased and the silent zones were agreed upon. Too late now.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/14/19 14:57 by GenePoon.

Maybe the design of the quiet zones needs to be revisited...
Also, the world is a lot different now than when it was when the tracks were originally laid.
I live a block from a busy 40 trains a day UP/BNSF yard which is why we moved here. We have no horns (which we used to call whistles) because
we got an overpass built several years ago. 
Mojave is not at all like Marin County and we haven't had a death for years even though some dimwits
walk through the yard, which is the only time a horn is blown. I hear more airplanes (and the occasional space ship)
than I do trains. The county requires builders to inform folks when they sell houses of the presence of the railroad AND airport/spaceport
when they build - it's called an "avigation" or a railroad easement.
I haven't heard a complaint for years except for a local kid who joined the Navy and made in idiot of himself on a Saturday afternoon
flying an F/A-18 low over town. He came very close to losing his shiny, hard-earned gold wings...

Bill Deaver
Tehachapi, CA

walstib Wrote:
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> The recent spate of deaths on the Sonoma-Marin SMART train tracks — four so far this month —

I think they had four fatalities in four days.  If people decide to commit suicide, jumping in front of a train is very effective.  A lot of people can't shoot themselves because a lot of people don't own guns anymore.      
 

CA_Sou_MA_Agent Wrote:
> I think they had four fatalities in four days. 

It was four deaths over a 16-day period, according to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat article I linked to in the original post. 

Perhaps if you bothered to read the article before commenting you would know the facts.

The numbers were cited in the second paragraph of the newspaper article.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/15/19 11:25 by walstib.

walstib Wrote:
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> Perhaps if you bothered to read the article before commenting you would know the facts.

I was going by what I heard on a local radio station, and we all know that it is TOTALLY within the realm of possibility that a radio station can get their facts wrong.  No need for you to be such a smart ass.