Dear Dr. Hagler: Attached is some reading for a rainy day.

We agree that a website would be a good idea. Perhaps a consensus
could be reached to ultimately file a class action lawsuit which appears
to be inevitable.

Anything else suggested begs the reply "been there, done that" - for
decades!

At www.noiseabatementsociety.com you will see that the train horn
problem in the U.K. went all the way to the top as it did to our
Congress in the U.S. They want to change the horn - we want to stop the
horn except in emergencies and, even then, it can freeze unprotected
people in their tracks from the "startle response" and buckle the knees
from "acoustic trauma", with brain and heart attacks from the shock to
the whole nervous system.

Winning the battle to stop these assaults with a deadly weapon will
require documentation so that those adversely affected need to relay
their symptoms to their physicians, health officials and representatives
and insist that their exposure and injuries be entered in medical
records.

Your city officials are to be applauded for their efforts to establish
"quiet zones" Here in Menlo Park our mayor recently went before the
Joint Powers Board to ask for additional services so as to encourage
developers to put more housing around the train tracks. We already have
96 commuter trains, with more to come, and freight trains into the
night, with blasting horns around the clock, despite recommendations
from a leading acoustical engineer in the Noise Element of our General
Plan in 1979 which was approved and adopted by our city.
 
The Environmental Impact Study at www.fra.dot.gov showed that there was
a "severe" impact from horns to residents 660' from the tracks. The
Public Utilities Commission has stated that it is poor planning to put
housing alongside heavy rail and freight. H.U.D. has guidelines for
distances from tracks and pleas and petitions for relief have been
presented for decades all over the country and, indeed, the world.

Class action lawyers should be contacted to take on the railroaders and
those who deny the abuse of railside residents. We are entitled to
equal protection under the law. Heavy diesel trains, freights and
routine blasting horns are not compatible with health, safety and
liveability of human beings, or any other living things for that matter.
Anything which is loud enough to penetrate closed vehicles with noise
inside is injurious to all others who are unshielded. The damages are
already incalculable. Adding housing to heavy rail corridors is
irresponsible and negligent. Relocating all existing residents from the
rails is impractical and passengers and pedestrians are affected.
Therefore, the routine horns should stop where there are already gates
and lights with monster locomotives audible and visible. The careless
should suffer the consequences of their reckless actions.

It should be documented that adding express baby bullet trains
exacerbating the noise problem, danger and congestion to the Peninula
Corridor without an E.I.R was unlawful.

We are spent and exhausted along the Caltrain Corridor but perhaps there
are those on this list who will contribute to the website offered, by
contacting you or retired attorney, Fred Arm. There was a website at
www.lighthousewoods.com/noise in Gilroy at the end of our line which
included the train horn noise issue.

Sincerely, Margaret

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attached mail follows:

http://www.fi.edu/brain/stress.htm
Received on Tue Feb 27 12:59:16 2007