By Paul Wein
"It's brutal," said Jack Mevorach, Cedarhurst's deputy village attorney and the head of the Train Noise Abatement Association, an organization he formed two months ago to combat the noise pollution that has forced him, along with his neighbors, to sleep with earplugs and soundboard covering their windows.
On June 24, new federal regulations went into effect that give the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) jurisdiction over train whistles. Under the new regulations, the trains must sound four blasts in a row - two long, one short and one long - that should last no longer than 15 seconds and measure between 96 and 110 decibels. Decibel levels are measured 100 feet ahead of the train's locomotive and four feet above the train tracks.
According to Mevorach, local officials and other residents, however, the blasts are both too loud and not in keeping with uniform requirements. "I bought a sound meter, and the score that I measured was between 115 and 120 decibels," said Ben Weinstock, deputy mayor of Cedarhurst. "Sound doubles every 10 decibels, so a train blast at 106 decibels is twice as loud as it is at 96. Plus, the new trains are far louder than the older trains."
Scot Mathisson, a resident of Cedarhurst who lives in the same building as Mevorach and is a member of Mevorach's organization, says that the engineers do not blast their horns the required four times. "I have heard some engineers doing five horn blasts, and I have heard others just hold it down for 15 to 20 seconds," Mathisson said. "I do not get enough sleep, and suffer from headaches. This is torture."
Besides the volume and pattern of the blasts, another problem is the number of whistles per day, according to Mevorach, who has counted. The total is 1,160. "Fifty-eight trains come through the five train crossings in Cedarhurst each day," he said. "If each train has to blast their horn four times at each crossing, that's 1,160 blasts every day. It's just noise pollution."
According to Steven Kulm, the spokesperson for the FRA, there is hope for the residents of Cedarhurst - more, he says, than in the days before to the new regulations. "For the first time ever, the new regulations place a maximum sound level for the train horns at 110 [decibels]," he said. "Previously, there was a minimum level, but there was no maximum. What I have found prior to the rule taking effect is that there were communities all over the county who did not have the power to silence the horns, but now communities can address this issue for the first time, and many have taken advantage of this."
The best way to address the issue, according to Kulm, is for an incorporated village or town, or an elected official, petition the FRA for a "quiet zone." In such a zone, the volume and/or frequency of the train horns can be reduced with the placement of alternative safety measures at crossings, such as reinforced gates made of Kevlar netting that can stop a car, or "four quadrant gates," which cover the entire width of the roadway, making it impossible for cars to driving around them.
"The Cedarhurst 'quiet zone' qualification can be determined by taking a risk assessment for each of the five crossings and making improvements at each, or by taking an average risk of all five together and making improvements only at some, as opposed to all, in order to bring the risk down to acceptable levels," said Kulm.
The problem with that, according to Weinstock, is funding. "We don't have the money to add the new technology," he says. "We'll have to see if we can find funding from different government sources."
But Kulm says that funding may already be available. "There is some federal funding options," he said. "Two hundred and twenty million dollars has been distributed among states for grade crossing improvements. The money is given to each state's Department of Transportation, and they make the decision of where and how to spend money." Kulm also said that states can use state and regional funds, and even petition the railroads themselves for some assistance.
The bottom line, according to Weinstock, Mevorach and his association, is that something must be done sooner rather than later. "We, of course, want safety for all of our commuters, but we also want a better quality of life," said Mevorach. "The only options available to us is to either do what we are doing, soundproof our homes, or move."
Weinstock agrees that something must be done quickly. "My long-term goal is the 'quiet zone,' which requires time and a great deal of money," he said. "But my short-term goal is to get the horns back to the levels prior to the new regulations. If we did have complaints before the new regulations, they didn't rise to the level we have today. If you live in one of those apartments near the train, I don't know how you get a good night's sleep."
Comments about this story? PWein@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 204.
