Dear Pat,

Thanks for mentioning the motorcycles. Just once I would like to be in the street with a baseball bat (kidding as they roared by). This also brings up the busses with their jake or engine breaks on as they drive.

These guys are just plain lazy and you are right in most cities they ban engine breaks within city limits. When the conventions are on the busses move between the convention center and the hotels with maybe two or three people. Not only is the noise and traffic inconvenient but the pollution has to be even worse. I know you have to get people to Con Vis from the hotels but dear God extend the times to fill the busses or go to electric vehicles downtown.

We live at Kettner and G St. which has got to be the noisiest. I am going to get a noise meter and will let you know what we come in at. On a side note we have a small boat at the Marriot and walk over and try to take it out several times a week. Last night I was tied up to the new dock over at the Boat House in Glorietta Bay and as I was sipping wine and reading a book I could hear the train all the way over by the Hotel Del. We have friends who live on the hills looking into the harbor in Point Loma. From our place in downtown they are 5.3 miles away and they can hear the horns from the trains. I have a daughter who lives in Mission Hills just south of Washington St and she hears the train from downtown more then the trains going to the west of her at Washington.

I have lived down here for years and never has the noise been greater.

The buildings have a lot to do with it as well. The high rises echo all the noise and amplify the sound even more.

One way to get the attention downtown is to require a disclosure statement about the noise to be read and signed by people when they are selling or buying real estate. This would have people screaming and finally joining in the fray to move this quite zone along.

Hi Alexandra,

We are just back from vacation in San Francisco after staying right in Union Square. It was actually quieter than here! I have been sending so many complaints on my own, especially before I left. We now even have trains sounding their horn "one time only" while sitting on the tracks in the middle of the night. For no reason! It's totally insane!

They are doing super loud announcements to the people inside the train but they have the doors to the train open so it's blasting out all over the neighborhood during all hours. It's total insensitive madness!

The trolley drivers are even getting into now too. I've been complaining about one of the engineers who hits the "loud" horn (as opposed to the "buzz" horn) about 15-25 times (no exaggeration) as he comes into the station. He does it every time even at 4am when there isn't a person on the tracks. He/she also plays little tunes. At Christmas time it was Deck The Halls. Cute huh?!?

The entire transit system personnel (trains & trolleys) all need some kind of "Awareness Training" so they can understand the seriousness of what they are doing!!!

I'm from back east and by now we would have had numerous Community Actions!!! Maybe it's time for one in our near future and perhaps we should start thinking about it. We could include all the neighborhoods.

Good Morning Everyone:

It is 450 in the morning in downtown San Diego. I was just awaked by the train, traveling North up Harbor Drive toward little Italy.

I know I am suppose to site the train number, but I cannot tell you the train number, for I can barely see the train, from my North West side of the building. Does this disqualify that it did not happen? No. I feel sorry for those on the other side of the building, getting a direct blast of the horn, all along the corridor of Harbor Drive from Park to C Street.

It woke me up 3 nights ago too, at a similar hour.

Let me guess tonight there was someone running along side the train, again this morning from Park Boulevard to C Street? The person is also hard of hearing and therefore the train engineer had to sound the horn, in what the FRA deems a "pattern"? Who knows maybe it was a flock of sheep between Park Boulevard and C Street.

Let's count Park Blvd. to C Street is......SIXTEEN blocks. Wow that person must be running pretty fast.

Leeann,

Your email response of March 4th is a complete joke.  These conductors are being asses just because they can.  Most of them try to keep the noise down but there are a few such as the one on 4 March that are just being asses.  I am sure the person that recorded the video shot it from his apartment thus not recording the movement of the train along the entire route. I walk on the sidewalks next to the train all the time.  I have seen conductors laughing at people that are covering their ears (from pain) as they sound their horns excessively.  In your email you said they followed a pattern.  Well I often see them repeat the pattern immediately with no pause between the patterns.  They are not doing the pattern for the next crossing.  I live at the Harbor Club and the crossings are just one block apart but the train will often sound the pattern 3-4 times as it goes by.  I know your next response but there just isn't anyone out there at 0300 and they definitely don't need to blow their horn that much in order to alert anyone that might have been there.

Your a joke, your BNSF buddies are Jokes and at least one of your conductors is a looser! Big L for all of You.  I am glad that I am not part of your team!

From: cdamerica@aol.com [mailto:cdamerica@aol.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March 27, 2007 11:59 AM
Subject: Re: San Diego BNSF March 4 incident

Dear Patrick,

Thanks so much for a copy of your response to LeeAnn. I wonder if paying these people to stay in a hotel at the Hyatt might just be the only way to have them aware of just what is going on at night here in San Diego. It could also be that the railroad hires no one with any common sense. That is certainly the case with their engineers that drive the trains.

Peter Hobbs

From: Dpriver@aol.com [mailto:Dpriver@aol.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March 27, 2007 3:04 PM
Subject: Re: San Diego BNSF March 4 incident

One can only marvel at the absolute inability to get anywhere with this abusive train horn issue. It all seems like a Kafka novel to me. How long will it be before our elected leaders get around to doing something about this absurdity. Does anyone notice that the trolley, which uses the same set of tracks, sounds a horn which can't be half the decibel level as it travels through downtown. I suspect a person hit by a trolley would be just as dead as one hit by the freight trains. Why is there a difference like this? Committed as I am to a vibrant downtown, I have, out of desperation, begun to advise out of town visitors not to book hotel rooms downtown. How would you feel about dropping $350 a night to be awakened at 3:00 AM by these noise polluters? It's time for action on this problem.

David Priver, MD

From: JIMPOLLARD [mailto:jim1pollard@cox.net]
Sent: Tuesday, March 27, 2007 3:01 PM
Subject: Re: San Diego BNSF March 4 incident

Thank you, Pat, for an extremely well written note.  Common sense tells me that when the gongs are gonging, the red lights are flashing, and the guards go down to prevent crossing into the tracks, we don't need mega decibels from the conductor who obvioulsy enjoys disturbing "those rich folks" in the condominiums.  ("Rich Foks" couldn't be further from the truth - but probably are assumed so).   Some conductors, as you well know, are MUCH worse than others.  Some just give a few light beeps, and some sit on the horn for blocks and blocks. And the excuse "we've always done it that way, doesn't hold water" if that's what they're using.

Thank you so much for your continuous striving on our behalf. 

Jim and Anne Pollard

CityFront Terrace 

Train noise through the night is absolutely out of control and no one in the San Diego government seems to care or wants to do anything about it. Perhaps a lawsuit would get their attention. Also, I don't care how wise the FRA seems their horn rule to be... this madness has got to stop. Can anyone from the FRA explain to me why it's ok for the trolley horns and Coaster horns to be NO WHERE NEAR as loud as the freight trains going through at 3am?

An answer from someone over there who hasn't lost their mind would be greatly appreciated.

First time writer:

Not sure why it's taken me this long to say something... but the freight train noise is absolutely out of control. I live at Treo at India & B St. and am wondering why the freight train's horn is SEVERAL times louder than the Coaster's or the trolley's for that matter. I have lived here for almost 3 years now and it has gotten worse over time. Could somebody please write back with any suggestions on what can be done about this obvious horn abuse by these engineers... especially through the early morning.

Washington Street Crossing.

We are getting the HORNS too!!!! Every night the same time, the same horn noise! I know the BNSF is suppose to by law only blow the horn for 15 seconds total. I am here to say, that at times, it's much longer. The video on this web site is my nightmare. Because the Sassafras crossing is before Washington. Then after Washington is Old Town. So basically the BNSF whale on their horns all the way through because the crossings are so close together. What about the residents that live along the Hwy. 5 corridor??? Little Italy, Banker's Hill, Middle Town, Old Town??? How do we get some relief????? Please let me know. Thank you.

What about the residents that live in Little Italy, Middle Town and, Old Town???? I live behind El Indio Restaurant and Safron Restaurant. EVERY NIGHT I am rudely awaken because Mr. Engineer decides that the Sassafras crossing and the Washington Street crossing are so close together he just decides to blow his horn NON-STOP. The Engineers continue to blow well passed Washington because Old Town crossing is next. Every night is CONSTANT BLOWING for at least 5 minutes. Your video on this web site is my NIGHTMARE!!! WHAT CAN WE DO!!!! As residents living along the Hwy. 5 the railroad is our biggest noise. Not the highway! If you can believe that!! The trains come at 12:30 pm then at 2:30 am then at 3:30 am. Do know how frustrating it is to be in a peaceful sleep only to be awaken by this obnoxious horn blowing??? It wakes me up out of a dead sleep. EVERY NIGHT!! What can I do to help get rid of this disease???? Please let me know.