'Disrupts the peace': City of Melbourne looking into "quiet zones" to reduce train horns in city
MELBOURNE, Fla. - City leaders in Melbourne are considering "quiet zones" to lessen the amount of disruptions when trains pass through the city.
The mayor says there are dozens of railroad crossings in the city of Melbourne alone, and Brightline traffic has intensified the issue.
People living near the tracks are getting frustrated with disruptions that happen multiple times during the day.
"It is disturbing the peace a bit," said Joshua Haas who lives near train tracks in Melbourne.
He says over the past few months, he’s been noticing the horns blaring more often.
"I’m trying to read or do something on my own, and it just distracts me more often than it used to," Haas added.
With several new Brightline trains and cargo shipments going through the city, Mayor Paul Alfrey thinks quiet zones could help.
"It’s only going to get louder here and noisier with all the trains," Alfrey said.
At Tuesday’s city council meeting, he said he would take the lead in looking for ways to cut down on the disruptions. Cities can work with the Federal Railroad Association to establish quiet zones.
"I would love it. I mean, why not," said Adam who also lives feet away from a crossing.
Changes won’t happen overnight. It’s a lengthy process to get quiet zones approved in the community. Before there are fewer train horns, there would be several public outreach meetings, and there could be even more safety improvements made to tracks.
"It appears to be working in other places in south Florida," added Alfrey.
If approved, the new measure would stop conductors from blaring horns at certain crossings, unless there’s an emergency.
"The practice is to just lay on the horn at 2, 3, 4, 5 in the morning which disturbs the peace," concluded Alfrey.
The mayor says he only wants to see overnight restrictions. He also wants other cities in the county to consider the idea. Next week, local leaders will be meeting on this issue with railroad and transportation officials.