Train Horns and Taxes

Longmont is looking into the costs to reduce the need for trains passing through town to blow their horns. Federal law requires specific horn soundings when trains pass "at grade" (read: street level). Engineers must sound their horns for 15 to 20 seconds before entering a level crossing.

Federal Railroad Administration Quiet Zone regulations are focused on eliminating the possibility someone could mistakenly play chicken with a locomotive, by installing gates and lights per government standards. Longmont has 17 at-grade railroad crossings, and installing safety measures across the entire city could cost nearly $6 million. Read more in the Daily Times-Call.

When FasTracks starts to pick up steam, and there are dozens of train crossings each day, train horns won't be nearly as aggravating as the frequent languishing in idling traffic. It might even make riding the train more convenient.

If Longmont passes Issue 2A next week (the public safety tax) maybe part of the revenue raised could go towards the collective sanity of Longmont residents living along the railways through the construction of these "Quiet Zones".

I'm not a fan of tax language that leaves spending options widely open-ended, as 2A allows "proceeds to be spent on improvements to public safety, including but not limited to..." However, if the money isn't limited to the list 2A supporters describe, I say if you live along the tracks, start making your case for the public safety concerns of these railroad crossings.