Christian Forsey is part of a group of concerned Clarington community members who want to keep the train whistles in the municipality for safety and to save tax dollars - 24 Jan 2012 Ryan Pfeiffer.

26 January 2012

Residents Connect to Save the Bowmanville Train Whistle

Bowmanville Ontario - A group of Clarington residents has taken to the Internet to defend train whistles in the community.
 
"It's going to make people more complacent to go right on through and not look. You don't have that extra alarm to give fair warning," said Christian Forsey, who created a Facebook page to "Save the Bowmanville Train Whistle". "We all know kids walk the tracks. They're not supposed to but they do."
 
Mr. Forsey created the page on 16 Jan 2012 and two days later the group had approximately 275 members. The group also recently started a formal online petition to keep the train whistles in our municipality for safety, and to save our tax dollars so they can be used to better serve the community we live in. The petition has 70 signatures so far.
 
Mr. Forsey said he wanted to create a single space for the train whistle support online.
 
The web activism began after a group of Bowmanville residents asked Clarington council to ban train whistles earlier this month. The anti-whistle petition had almost 800 signatures. A spokesperson for the group said many communities have successfully banned train whistles and asked council to begin the process outlined by Transport Canada to do the same.
 
A staff report recommended council not pursue the anti-whistling request because of public safety concerns and the increased liability exposure.
 
To put a stop to train whistles, Clarington would have to talk with the railway company, do a detailed safety study of each crossing, recommend upgrades, and pass a bylaw forbidding the use of whistles at certain crossings. The municipality would then have to upgrade the crossings.
 
Without train whistles, Clarington would also become liable for collisions on the tracks if the automatic gate system fails. The municipality would require additional liability insurance.
 
Council decided to consider a whistle ban and asked staff to look at the urban areas of Clarington and bring back a report on the potential cost and feasibility.
 
Mr. Forsey said he hopes council considers that the number of people on the anti-whistle petition is only a small percentage of the population. He's encouraging whistle supporters to contact councillors and the mayor to state their position.
 
"I have faith in our elected officials... there are better ways to spend money. There are areas that need funding. To me, to spend it on a train whistle is just crazy," said Mr. Forsey.
 
The "Save the Bowmanville Train Whistle" group has become an online platform for the whistle debate, with whistle-supporters telling the antis to be more careful when buying a home and to move if they're so unhappy about the sound. The anti-whistle group counters that members are only asking for a study to see if the whistle can be safely banned.
 
There are three railway lines that cross through Clarington. The CP Belleville subdivision line passes through downtown Bowmanville. The CN Kingston subdivision line lies along the lakefront. The CP Havelock subdivision line passes through Burketon and the northern part of the municipality.
 
Under the Railway Safety Act of 1988, trains must whistle at all level public crossings, at least 400 metres before all public level crossings for trains exceeding 70 km/h or at least 20 seconds before the crossing for trains travelling under 70 km/h.
 
Even with a municipal whistle ban, train operators can blow the whistle in bad weather, when rounding a curve, or any time visibility is impaired.
 
Mr. Forsey, who has lived in Bowmanville his entire life, said the train whistle becomes part of the background noise. He wants to hear the whistle in Clarington for years to come.
 
"After your first day, you don't even know the whistle is there. It's part of life, like the police, fire, and ambulance siren."