Last week St. Albert City Council agreed to cease train whistles through the city. The change won’t take effect until at least 2018, because a number of safety upgrades are required before the whistles can stop. This follows years of complaints from some residents who live near crossings.
But to most St. Albertans, it’s just white noise.
Council’s survey on the issue found that train whistles bothered fewer than 30 per cent of respondents. That means the majority of the survey respondents weren’t really interested in the issue and some might have even supported keeping the whistles. But those voices are not represented in this bylaw.
“The results coming out of the public survey weren’t all that surprising to me, because unless you’re really bothered by whistles in the middle of the night, then that’s not an issue to you,” said Coun. Wes Brodhead, who has long championed whistle cessation in St. Albert.
Whistle cessation is a hot topic in many municipalities, but not all have opted to stop the whistles. Last year, the city of Lacombe decided not to pursue cessation because of the cost to do a safety assessment. This summer Innisfil, Ont. opted to study the issue but not move forward, in part because 75 per cent of public response disagreed with the concept of whistle cessation.
Certainly there must be more pressing priorities for council in a tough economic climate. It's a project to satisfy a vocal minority.
But what about the majority of St. Albertans who don't find the whistles to be an issue? Perhaps some favour the whistles for safety reasons.
The routine of whistle blowing was not invented to annoy residents. The practice is designed for safety to warn both pedestrians and vehicles that a train is approaching a crossing. In a time when many people are distracted by their cellphones or wearing headphones, one might find it prudent to provide extra warning to prevent a potential tragedy. Conductors can still blow the whistle in the event of an emergency, but emergencies can be unpredictable.
No doubt that some who live near the tracks would prefer to hear less noise from trains, but it’s not like this is a new practice. St. Albert has had trains for more than 100 years. It's hard to imagine a scenario where someone choosing to live near rail tracks wouldn't be aware of the sound implications; it comes with the territory.
But those affected by the sounds of safety will have to wait a few years before the bylaw will take effect. Due to changes to the Grade Crossing Standards in 2014, the city will need to upgrade several crossings with improved signs and fencing before the whistles will stop. These upgrades would’ve been required whether or not the city opted to put an end to whistles, so the city is missing an opportunity to double-up on safety; with both improved crossings and traditional warning whistles.
This may be a longstanding issue, but it's not one most people lose sleep over. It does, however, set a bad precedent to start legislating changes to appease a group of people who were fully aware of the trains before they moved in.
