Railroads

UPDATE: What Quiet Zone?

l3wis December 17, 2024 3Comments

UPDATE: I was at this same quiet zone yesterday around 11:30 AM and once again, the crossbars came down, the lights flashed and the train pulled up and blared it’s horn. Why did we build this if the RR isn’t going to bother using it? The recent passing of a transient trying to jump over a moving train is further proof that the trains DTSF need to go. I am hoping someone in Public Works has asked the RRs to use these quiet zones properly and STOP blaring the horn!

So they put a quiet zone RR crossing east of the new $20 Million dollar Non-Unity 6th Street bridge. How they are ‘supposed’ to work is the arms come down, there is a bunch of flashing lights, etc. It is called a quiet zone because ideally the trains won’t blow their whistles anymore going thru this intersection. I have suggested we have them all over DTSF.

So I was sitting at the crossing last week on my bike, and a train was approaching, the lights started flashing to stop and the cross arms came down. Then right before the intersection the engine stopped, which is normal protocol. The lights were flashing and the bars were down, and guess what Leroy the conductor did, blaired his horn.

So what was the purpose of this very expensive crossing? (I believe it cost like $1 million to build with money coming from the city, the DOT and the railroad). So what was the purpose if the trains are going to continue to blow their whistles?

The railroads have been doing what they want to for around 150 years. Did they really think they care if this is a quiet zone? Apparently not.

Could Downtown Sioux Falls residents sue the railroads to create quiet zones?

l3wis July 30, 2024 3Comments

Several municipalities have sued the railroads and have successfully won cases forcing them to install quiet zones in their communities.

So why couldn’t citizens do the same? I have discussed this with politicos and attorneys and they all say it is doable, just need to find a law firm to take it on.

I look at it as basic quality of life. While I knew what I was getting into when I bought my home DTSF, it has gotten progressively worse noise wise, and as a local and federal taxpayer I think the government (judicial system) has a duty to protect our quality of life.

People talk about ice ribbons and indoor pools, how about a nice quiet night’s sleep?

Just look at this video below I took at 12:12 PM today on 8th street.

The train was very long and the traffic was backed up all the way past Phillips. While the quiet zones can’t effect traffic, I ask people, maybe it is time to just boot them out of downtown all together?

Oh, that’s right, Sioux Falls most corrupt mayor next to current Dutch mobster screwed the pooch on that opportunity. What an idiot!

I think if myself or any other citizen was considering litigation I would go for the gold and push to move them completely out of downtown.

Until we fix up the donut around the donut hole called DTSF no progress will happen downtown, including a convention center (let me fill you in, that ain’t never happening.)

We need to make DTSF beautiful and QUIET for EVERYONE! Even the peeps who buy their hamburger at Slumshine or Franklin Food Stuff.

UPDATE: Quiet Zones for Condo Dwellers in DTSF

l3wis July 26, 2022 14Comments

UPDATE: Instead of expensive quiet zones with concrete barriers and crossbars, maybe the city could work with current city ordinances and the state RR board to create ‘quiet times’. In other words limit the time of day trains could pass over city roads and thru neighborhoods. Let’s admit it, when a train is NOT moving over traffic they are quiet. So why not find a way to limit train traffic thru the city? My suggestion would be to have these as active times;

8:30 AM-11 AM, 1 PM-4 PM and 6 PM-9 PM

This would give the Railroads 8.5 hours in the day to move thru the city. I have never understood why the trains need to run at 3 AM or during morning and evening rush hour, it is ridiculous. I think the state and the city could implement local laws that would limit train traffic and keep the whistles to a minimum.

The railroad has had its reign on us long enough, and if they don’t like the designated times, they can certainly do what we have wanted for decades, move the damn trains on the outskirts of town and stop running them thru our city.

While I certainly support quiet zones on 6th & 8th streets, it is pretty obvious it is for the wealthy condo dwellers;

The City of Sioux Falls is looking at setting up quiet zones along Weber Avenue, at the Sixth Street and Eighth Street intersections of downtown. The plan is to make improvements to the railroad crossings so train engineers won’t have to blow their whistles as often, if at all.

If they are successful setting up the quiet zones, they really need to them also at Cliff between 12th and 14th (most of the DT train traffic comes thru here all thru the early morning and day) and across 14th by the credit union.

While I am supportive of this, it seems like they want to set them up where expensive condos are being built and NOT where they are really needed. But it seems the RR is NOT to keen on the idea;

But a spokesperson with the railroad industry urged the state railroad board to proceed with caution about quiet zones, saying that blowing a train whistle is always safer than not blowing one, especially when drivers aren’t paying attention.

I have a feeling there will be a fight about this, and the railroads rarely lose, just look how this project was negotiated, the railroads got millions of dollars to move but didn’t move at all, in fact traffic has increased DTSF and they now stage the cars right by the steel company and Avera.

I have argued for a long time the DT RR relocation project was poorly negotiated and when it comes to frequent train traffic, nothing was solved.

When Mayor Dave Munson and Senator Tim Johnson first proposed the idea, it was to remove the train traffic from DTSF, or make it very minimal. We got duped.