The city officially agreed to move forward with the quiet zone requirements. This outcome happened only because so many of you took the time to show you care about our neighborhood. Please stay tuned as we watch to see how the implementation proceeds.
September 4, 2018
Final supporters
Request: I would encourage the City of Newark, California to consider taking steps to qualify 2 railroad crossings:
- Sycamore St. (Crossing #750030L) &
- Carter Av. (Crossing #749941T)
for Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) "Quiet Zones" status which:
- prohibits trains from sounding horns except in emergencies;
- is safer than non-"Quiet Zone" railroad crossings;
- prevents drivers from going around the gates;
- potentially increases property values; and
- has been successfully done by over 500 communities in accordance with federal regulations, which have allowed this since 2006.
Background: Since 2006, a federal regulation ("Train Horn Rule" 49 CFR 222) has required trains to sound horns at railroad crossings unless certain "Quiet Zone" criteria are met. A "Quiet Zone" is a half-mile length of track where the FRA requires that trains not sound the horn except in emergencies. To meet the criteria, extra safety equipment is added such as signs and a raised concrete median along the yellow lines in the middle of the street to prevent cars from driving around the closed gates. The existing signs, gates, bells and flashing lights continue to be used.
For more information see
https://sites.google.com/view/newark-ca-quiet-zones/
SPONSORResidents of City of Newark, California
LINKSUpdates
Reached 250 supporters
August 21, 2018
Reached 100 supporters
August 18, 2018
175 Comments
Yes! The trains themselves are not as annoying as the horns that are blasted at all hours of the day and night. Added safety provided by the Quiet Zone also needed due to increased development and traffic in the surrounding area.
I would favor only if the City or RR were also to install a gate or similar infrastructure to block pedestrian/bike traffic, when a train is approaching, along the sidewalks over the track.
This would be a great improvement to the highly populated residential area surrounding the Sycamore crossing. The trains there sound their horns for a 10-20min period, sometimes having blasts for nearly 5sec straight. This to me seems unusually excessive.
This is something that I researched twelve years ago when I first purchased my home here in Carter Station, but could not dedicate the time to deal the red tape and bureaucracy. But I am available to help if there's anything I can do.
My wife and I, our mother-in-law, and our dog have not gotten a single good night's sleep in the 3 years that we've lived here. There is no point to trains blowing their horns gratuitously in the middle of the night with no cars on the road. It's incredibly inconsiderate!
Please do this for quality of life for all residents in Newark. Doesn't have fancy with the safety devices. Simple medians could do the jobs.
Would love to see this implemented to improve our quality of life.
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The city officially agreed to move forward with the quiet zone requirements. This outcome happened only because so many of you took the time to show you care about our neighborhood. Please stay tuned as we watch to see how the implementation proceeds.
September 4, 2018
Final supporters
Request: I would encourage the City of Newark, California to consider taking steps to qualify 2 railroad crossings:
- Sycamore St. (Crossing #750030L) &
- Carter Av. (Crossing #749941T)
for Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) "Quiet Zones" status which:
- prohibits trains from sounding horns except in emergencies;
- is safer than non-"Quiet Zone" railroad crossings;
- prevents drivers from going around the gates;
- potentially increases property values; and
- has been successfully done by over 500 communities in accordance with federal regulations, which have allowed this since 2006.
Background: Since 2006, a federal regulation ("Train Horn Rule" 49 CFR 222) has required trains to sound horns at railroad crossings unless certain "Quiet Zone" criteria are met. A "Quiet Zone" is a half-mile length of track where the FRA requires that trains not sound the horn except in emergencies. To meet the criteria, extra safety equipment is added such as signs and a raised concrete median along the yellow lines in the middle of the street to prevent cars from driving around the closed gates. The existing signs, gates, bells and flashing lights continue to be used.
For more information see
https://sites.google.com/view/newark-ca-quiet-zones/
SPONSORResidents of City of Newark, California
LINKSUpdates
Reached 250 supporters
August 21, 2018
Reached 100 supporters
August 18, 2018
175 Comments
There are definitely train engineers who sound the horn louder and longer than the others. I am not sure why the sounding of the horn is even necessary given that the crossings have crossing arms, warning lights, and warning bells.
Yes! The trains themselves are not as annoying as the horns that are blasted at all hours of the day and night. Added safety provided by the Quiet Zone also needed due to increased development and traffic in the surrounding area.
I would favor only if the City or RR were also to install a gate or similar infrastructure to block pedestrian/bike traffic, when a train is approaching, along the sidewalks over the track.
This would be a great improvement to the highly populated residential area surrounding the Sycamore crossing. The trains there sound their horns for a 10-20min period, sometimes having blasts for nearly 5sec straight. This to me seems unusually excessive.
This is something that I researched twelve years ago when I first purchased my home here in Carter Station, but could not dedicate the time to deal the red tape and bureaucracy. But I am available to help if there's anything I can do.
My wife and I, our mother-in-law, and our dog have not gotten a single good night's sleep in the 3 years that we've lived here. There is no point to trains blowing their horns gratuitously in the middle of the night with no cars on the road. It's incredibly inconsiderate!
Please do this for quality of life for all residents in Newark. Doesn't have fancy with the safety devices. Simple medians could do the jobs.
Would love to see this implemented to improve our quality of life.
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There are definitely train engineers who sound the horn louder and longer than the others. I am not sure why the sounding of the horn is even necessary given that the crossings have crossing arms, warning lights, and warning bells.