By Mike Caputo
A meeting, scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 2, involving Sen. Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre), LIRR President Helena Williams and Cedarhurst village officials may help resolve some of the noise concerns for Mevorach and many residents living along LIRR¹s Far Rockaway branch. Residents have complained about loud train horn blasts since 2005, when Federal Railroad Administration regulations required the use of horns at all local grade crossings. The Far Rockaway branch includes stops in Far Rockaway, Inwood, Lawrence, Cedarhurst, Woodmere, Hewlett, Gibson and Valley Stream.
Mevorach, who founded the Train Noise Abatement Association (TNAA) in 2005 when the horns became a major issue for residents, suggested that the problem goes way beyond simply being a nuisance.
³This is a health crisis, this is not quality of life [issue],² said Mevorach, whose residence sits in the vicinity of Village Hall, Cedarhurst Park and the train station. ³People can¹t sleep. People can¹t sit outside.²
Thursday¹s meeting is slated to take place in Village Hall at 9:30 a.m., with a short discussion between the officials. Then, rain or shine, the meeting is scheduled to shift to the Cedarhurst train station, where LIRR officials are looking to test a new modified horn.
When the federal regulations went into effect, the LIRR installed new horns, which consistently reached decibel levels above 100. Before the 2005 federal regulations, horns usually didn¹t exceed 96 decibels. Since 2005, Mevorach and representatives for Skelos said the sound had reached levels exceeding 110 decibels.
Experimenting with a new modified horn comes in response to continued communication between Skelos and the LIRR after a failed attempt earlier in the year to reduce the decibel levels. During the winter, the LIRR tested a baffle apparatus on the Far Rockaway branch that fits around the horn so the sound travels down the tracks rather than into the surrounding neighborhood. Even with the baffle installed, a test at a Cedarhurst railroad crossing earlier in the year revealed an average reading of 106 decibels.
³In all honesty, we were hoping it would be more effective than it actually turned out to be,² said Tom Dunham, a spokesman for Skelos. ³Then we asked the LIRR to go back to the drawing board.²
In July, LIRR spokesman Sam Zambuto said the LIRR had been evaluating three new horn modifications to help relieve the noise. At the time, Zambuto said if tests went as planned, a public test in Cedarhurst would be held, which is set for Thursday.
As of press time, messages for Zambuto were not immediately returned.
Dunham said that a goal has been set for the new horn, after the modifications, to reach a decibel level between 96 and 100. He said the modifications should also prevent a significant amount of collateral sound from seeping into the neighborhoods.
³If we can do that, we think that there should be a very meaningful and noticeable difference for folks that live near the tracks,² Dunham said. ³If, in fact, it proves to be successful and community residents approve of it, then there is a great possibility that this horn could be the standard for the entire fleet on the railroad.²
Unsure of how Thursday¹s test will turn out, Mevorach plans to continue his work with Skelos¹s office and the LIRR to find the best solution. Until then, the TNAA founder will continue to maintain his long and detailed record of testimonials from community members affected by the noise. But he added he will never forget the sight of a baby crying hysterically at a Woodmere railroad crossing after a train passed by.
³That horn is too loud if that¹s what it does to a child,² Mevorach said.
Comments about this story? Mcaputo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 210
