Hi Todd

RR crossings have to meet certain standards in order for a quiet zone to implemented along a RR line.  The standards include longer crossing arms and cement medians that divide the two directions of traffic.  The point of the features is to make it nearly impossible to cross the tracks while a train is approaching (you could still do it I guess if you’re driving on the wrong side of the road—hail Britain!) My point is, either this guy was a)just unlucky to have the arms come down while he was in the middle of tracks, b)driving on the wrong side of the road, or c) an idiot who tried to squeeze under the crossing arms.  Repealing the quiet zone would not solve any of these situations.  Nobody will stop at a RR crossing if the arms aren’t down just because they heard a train whistle in the distance, and let’s me honest, an idiot who is willing to risk damaging a RR arm and/or his own vehicle is not going to stop for a horn either.  The horns have long been ineffective anyway.  Cars are well insulated and combined with a radio playing at a normal level, you cannot even hear a train horn until it’s too late to really do anything.

I actually live not far from the WX Frontrunner station, right along the Frontrunner tracks.  It’s nice to actually sleep with the window open at night and not have the bujeebus scared out of me when a train blows its horn right in my backyard.  I know that I’m the idiot for buying a house right next to the train tracks, but instituting the quiet zone has been wonderful for all of us poor folks live there!

Just thought I’d give my two cents as a train neighbor.