17 August 2007
Councillor Craig Hopes to Silence Train Whistles in the GSA
Sudbury Ontario - In 1977, an anti-whistling
bylaw was passed to effectively silence trains from blasting their whistles in the City of Sudbury. Today, almost seven years since the
creation of Greater Sudbury, citizens living outside of the former city limits are still awakened at night by passing trains.
The bylaw has not been extended to cover the new Greater City of Sudbury (GSA) communities.
"This is a problem for which I receive countless phone calls every year," said Doug Craig, Ward 9 Councillor. He represents
citizens in Coniston, Wahnapitae, Wanup, and the South End.
Trains break the silence day or night with as many as three bouts of the regulated train whistle sequence, which consists of two long
blasts, followed by one short and one long.
The sequence that is currently under review to be shortened, according Daniel Lafontaine of Transport Canada.
"The use of train whistling at road/railway crossings is an important means to ensure the safety of motorists, cyclists, and
pedestrians who use public railway crossings," said Lafontaine.
"For those residing in close proximity to a railway crossing, train whistling can be a nuisance in terms of noise levels. As a
result some municipalities may wish to eliminate the use of train whistling so that residents who live close to railway crossings can
get some relief from associated noise levels."
A municipality can seek exemption from whistling. In order to pass the bylaw, certain safety requirements must be met that are intended
to offset the removal of train whistling and its warning of an oncoming train, said Lafontaine.
Craig has met opposition in the past when attempting to pass a "whistle stop" bylaw to cover all of Greater Sudbury.
At the next council meeting in September, Craig said he plans to propose that a bylaw be worked through on a crossing by crossing
basis, starting with his own ward and branching out from there.
Once presented, the city will have the option of attempting to alleviate the problem at as many crossings as possible, or decided not
to proceed. If the city were to move ahead, the next step would be to contact CN and CP, and notify the public of its intention to
forbid the use of train whistles.
Then the city and railway companies must conduct a detailed safety assessment of the crossing and, if satisfied, pass a resolution
prohibiting train whistling at the crossing.
"Once the agreement has been reached between the railway company and the municipality, Transport Canada may be requested to
inspect the crossing to confirm it meets the safety requirements set out in their guidelines," said Lafontaine.
If Transport Canada is satisfied that the requirements have been met, confirmation is forwarded to the railway company which can then
issue instructions to train staff to keep their whistle silent.
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