Tom Reta: Delivering loud-and-clear message, quieten train horns

The citizens of Merced have for far too many years been unnecessarily subjected to the incessant railroad train horn every day, all day and all night 365 days a year.

The two railroads passing through our city are absolutely necessary and their rumbling sound must be lived with. But the horn blasting is entirely another matter.

I am making a formal request to the Merced City Council that city staff, guided by the city manager, immediately research the process whereby train horn noise can be permanently eliminated within the Merced city limits.This can be done by establishing a quiet zone.

For pertinent information, go to the Federal Railroad Administration website, which has a multitude of information on train horn rules and quiet zones. The California Public Utilities Commission had 36 established quiet zones (covering 181 crossings) as of April, 2013.

If our city council would like to accomplish a task to benefit the entire city, and those working and living near downtown, this would be a huge step in the right direction.

A recent Merced Sun-Star article quoted Merced Police Chief Norm Andrade saying he would like his headquarters moved because of the noise.

This story was originally published January 21, 2016 at 12:05 PM with the headline "Tom Reta: Delivering loud-and-clear message, quieten train horns."