Dear Carol: As others on my list of Palo Alto residents, joining those of Menlo Park and other Peninsula cities, are still complaining of the horn blasts I suggest that you read the Sleepless in San Diego website to read the resident and hotel guests' comments and note the complaint form. See www.quietzonesd.info.

In the case of Caltrain, complaints should be sent to www.caltrain.com with a copy to boardsecretary@caltrain.com and board.secretary@vta.com giving as many details as possible. Incident times, volume if possible, etc.

As we all know, the engineers have the discretion over and above all laws with regard to sounding the horn. However, the new FRA rule has lowered the legal maximum sound level to 110 decibels. There is also a distance limitation before and through each crossing. See.www.fra.dot.gov.

With the crossings so close together, it allows a constant horn blast within those limits through some cities and this, together with the clanging bells, is intolerable.

I have no knowledge of why there was some relief at Charleston for a short period and now this has changed again, other than perhaps accidents occurred and the train personnel have misguidedly been cited for not adequately sounding the horn, (In fact, the horns may cause fatalities.)

However, the horns are now regulated. A well-calibrated noise meter of ANSI standards is necessary to accurately measure the decibel level. Perhaps your police department has these on loan.
I wouldn't count on accuracy if the police measure noise. In Menlo Park a brain-damaging jackhammer in Linfield Oaks was measured at 84 decibels when the regulation was 85. Hmm!! Once, when a planning commissioner asked an officer to measure the mind-blowing volume of music at a concert (causing people to hurry away and protect their babies) he said it wasn't loud enough!!
The decibel meter stayed in his belt.

A proper response from Caltrain to complaints should result in their determining the noise levels in order to conform with the new federal law. This should only be accomplished with independent acoustical engineers, not those associated with the railroads. The state mandated Noise Element of General Plans includes Trains. This was ignored in Menlo Park and the trains have doubled, operating into the nights and 5 a.m.early mornings although the recommendation was to curtail the injurious noise to between the hours of 11 pm and 7 a.m. You might check the Train Section of the Noise Element of Palo Alto's Comprehensive Plan.

Reporting the times, direction and preferably the number of the locomotives in violation should reduce the assaults until grade separations are in place, thus eliminating the routine horn blasts.

It is acknowledged that these horn blasts are resulting in serious public health hazards for the unprotected, such as severe stress with high blood pressure, associated strokes and heart attacks, lack of sleep, loss of hearing, etc. The acoustic trauma and startle and monster response can "freeze" people on the tracks and cause buckling of the knees from damage to the nervous system and loss of muscle control.

Last month our mayor, Andy Cohen, stepped down from the dais and addressed the rest of the city council with the comment that we along the railroad are sick and tired of the horns.

The mayor of Mountain View wrote of the complaints of wheel squeal and horns from that city where the housing has been built close to the tracks. All over the country city officials are fighting for "quiet zones" - the first criterion for which is grade separations, then four quadrant gate, etc. Novato is in litigation.

It has been many years since you, your husband, Dr. Katz (neurologist from Stanford) and I attended the presentation from Korve Engineering and the Public Utilities Commission rep. on the quiet zones for Palo Alto. Alma was recommended as the first in line. Later, at a mayors' meeting, a planning official said that your city is waiting for grade separations instead of four-quadrant gates. In the meantime, their poor planning is evident.

Electrification is on the books for the future but this will result in additional trains. The toxic, cancer-causing diesels some violating pollution laws, may continue for years to come. Plans include grade separations as funding permits with or without the bullet train. See their plans at www.caltrain.com.

The bond measure on the November ballot for high speed rail will, if passed, result in grade separations with possible closures and the cessation of horn blasts other than in emergencies. They also hope for zero emissions. See. www.ca.highspeedrail.ca.gov

In the past when despairing that you must unwillingly move after raising your family and improving your home you gave permission to share your comments, so I am sending your latest e-mail around. The doctors at Stanford U. and elsewhere are fed up but don't want to be identified at this time. Some have insisted on a lawsuit.

We are preparing and completing a file for another formal complaint unless adequate environmental impact studies of the abuse of residents is immediately taken seriously. The main concern of the railroaders is their liability toward the careless, risk-takers and the stressed-out mentally ill who may end it all on the tracks. The train engineers, many caltrain riders and other residents are wearing hearing protection. Does this not defeat the purpose of the brain concussion horn blasts, resulting in more pedestrian deaths than those from vehicle occupants for which the penetrating horns were designed and intended?

We know that the liability for assaults to the unshielded extends to us. The airports when sued made funding available for mitigating measures for those close by. The environmental impact report of the FRA stated that the residents 660' from the tracks suffer a "severe" impact from the train horns.

Sadly, our cities continue to approve additional housing within close proximity to the heavy rail and freight tracks with pressure from officials of regional and state agencies. The E.I.R. for our Derry Project stated that the residents would be exposed to train-related pollution. A required sound wall will have to be removed when Caltrain claims its 15' for extra tracks. Ignoring all this constitutes gross negligence without a doubt.

Did you know that one of the managers of large apartment complex on Alma in Palo Alto, housing many Stanford people, was transferred because he was collecting signatures of those complaining of the train noise? This is in violation of disclosure laws of which cities, realtors and sellers are guilty.

Caltrain is in negotiations with the Federal Railroad Administration and the Public Utilities Commission to use the lighter commuter trains. Presently the heavy locomotives are mandatory where there is freight traffic in case the two collide. However, only persuasion that the freights will run during the night between passenger traffic will spell success. This does not bode well for those living beside the tracks and additional housing within a quarter mile for passenger trains and one-half mile for freights should be well-considered. Union Pacific which boasts of its powerful engines has added heavier axles in order to carry greater double-deck loads which exacerbate the earthquake-like rumble and vibration affecting sleeping wayside residents. Panicked Stanford Park hotel guests have called the desk at 3:30 a.m.
mistaking a freight for an earthquake.

Keep us posted if you receive a response from Caltrain other than the usual form letters.

Margaret

attached mail follows:

Dear Margaret:

After a short cessation of the truly ear bursting train horns at the crossroad of Charleston and Alma, we are once again being tortured with massive blasts. Is there any particular cause for this coming back to make our lifes miserable that you are aware of?

Thanks,
Carol Piercy Received on Sun May 18 12:55:05 2008