After making enough noise to get the Montgomery County Council’s attention, whistle-weary homeowners who live near railways might finally sleep in silence.
Residents in the Forest Glen area, near tracks used for freight, Amtrak and MARC trains, want the council to apply for a “quiet-zone” exception to the federal law requiring trains whistle a warning as they approach major road crossings. On Thursday, the Council heard representatives from railway companies and various state and local authorities discuss possible solutions.
To qualify for the exception, the county would need to come up with money for additional safety measures such as road medians to stop deviant drivers from snaking through crossing gates.
Joe Rosenberg, president of the Rock Creek Hills Citizens Association, has been fighting since 2001 to silence the 56 “deafening” whistles he says hears each day, claiming they keep him from hosting parties and sleeping with the windows open.
“It’s very disruptive to quality of life,” Rosenberg said.
Robert Herstein, director of railroad issues for Maryland’s Department of Transportation, said it’s a safety issue. Whistles, he said, are safest and most effective.
“If they save somebody’s kid, it’s hard to get excited about somebody’s discomfort,” he said.
Nationwide, 2,927 highway-rail collisions resulted in 292 deaths in 2006, according to Federal Railroad Administration statistics.
Councilwoman Nancy Floreen organized the Rockville hearing after years of noise complaints dating from her time as mayor of Kensington. “But people get killed. That’s the problem. We don’t want that to happen,” she said.
Rosenberg said his research his on the viability of quieter measures has fallen on deaf ears at Herstein’s agency. “I was told by the state highway administration that they’re waiting for me to die or move away,” he said.
Herstein wasn’t biting: “While I may have thought it, I never said it.”
