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Home My WebLink About2017-0123 Documents Submitted at Mtg 3?;tom i w, 3 s. - -P.O. t T w s c~ Pa i ctT v_ You are here: > What are Wayside Horns? ~v~~ a= aside horns are stationary horns installed ar rai road crossings tha warn motorists of oncoming trains. Vvlfa side horns m prove quality of life by substantially reducing the sounding of traditional train-mounted horns. `dVayside horns blow a focused sound pattern; aimed towards the direction; of oncoming vehicular traffic. Wayside horns reduce train horn noise in several ways. • Wayside horns are permanently located near the intended audience -of _ tf e horn - the motorist. 1 otorist. The stationary nature of the YYa Yside horns eliminates the reed to routinely blow train-m.our'ted horns. Prior to installation of the wayside horns. the train-mounted horns routinely impacted Sugar Land neighborhoods by blowing up to a quarter mile wR'~ from each rossing.- ~ • The duration of the wayside horns is auto mated. eliminating the train engineers t ir- r1,o ar't' h0i-n Y a t potential for he t.tas , Vx essive duration, Cdr ti k • The city is able to set the voi..:_e ..'f tree ,'ia-vs~'de Ii`-ns ra", .'r 1na- the . railroads. The city sets the va=yside horn voiur e ,v fet e'sai 3 requirements. IV Trim The installation of wayside horns is evidence of the cit s con m= tment tC AN y A improving gualit; of life, The std s nisia, capital cost for the aysde h cr 'F` all 10 crossings was approXiri~ately S800,000. The 10 crossin s now w Tayside horns are every crossing bet;veen- Dairy Ashford and the Nalc.:: 4 driveway entrance. inclusive While the city's train noise reduction measures greatly reduce train horn horn is aimed rc and nne app oacn,trig noise, these measures do not fullv eliminate the potentiai for railroads to motorist, The fnstaiiat on includes a blow the train-mounted horns. A train. engineer may continue to blow 'he ilashirtta fight in the shape of an X - that train-mounted horn 4 the engineer detects a hazard at the crossing. H is Visible fro_rn along the railroad tra-- S. crossing hazard could include a car stopped or the 'racks or "he presence of The `SaS77rng J1cht S.'QnaIS to the t='r7rn nearby mowing or maintenance crews, eng nee, tl at the wayside horn, system is functionfmrg normally and confirms to the As of 2012. the city has one remaining crossing targeted for nofse-reduction train er?C'ineer not to blow flee train- measures. This crossing is Circle One Drive. also known as Ellis Road. mounted tom, which is the entrance to the former prison property west of State Highway 6_ In 20111 - the city allocated funding and developed a capital improvement project for the installation of a wayside horn system at this crossing. The city is negotiating modifications to the city's existing wayside horn r' greerrient with Union Pacific Railroad to allow for this installation. Union Pacific Ra lroad has requested modifications to indemnity and insurance provisions of the agreement which have delayed the Ifinalizing of tile agreement, City of Sugar Land, Texas 2700 Town Center Blvd, North Sugar Lard, TX 77479 - °h: 281-275-2790 1;21/2017 eCFR - Code of Federal Regulations ELECTRONIC CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS -C ciata is anent as oJ,,. i r §222.59 Title 49: Transportation L R A : 1. ; ii §222.59 When may a wayside horn be used? T (a)(1) A wayside horn conforming to the requirements of appendix E of this part may be used in lieu of a locomotive horn at any highway-rail grade crossing equipped with an active warning system consisting of, at a minimum, flashing lights and gates. (2) A wayside horn conforming to the requirements of appendix E of this part may be installed within a quiet zone. For purposes of calculating the length of a quiet zone, the presence of a wayside horn at a highway-grade crossing within a quiet zone shall be considered in the same manner as a grade crossing treated with an SSM. A grade crossing equipped with a wayside horn shall not be considered in calculating the Quiet Zone Risk Index or Crossing Corridor Risk Index. (b) A public authority installing a wayside horn m a grade crossing within a quiet zone shall provide written notice that a wayside horn is being installed to all railroads operating over the public highway-rail grade crossings within the quiet zone, the highway or traffic control authority or law enforcement authority having control over vehicular traffic at the crossings within; the quiet zone, the landowner having control over any private crossings within ~ the quiet zone, the State agency responsible for grade crossing safety, the State agency responsible for highway and road safety, and the Associate Administrator. This notice shall provide the date on which the wayside horn will be operational and identify the grade crossing at which the wayside horn shall be installed by both the U.S. DOT National Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Inventory Number and street or highway name. The railroad or public authority shall provide notification of the operational date at least 21 days in advance. (c) A railroad or public authority installing a wayside horn at a grade crossing located outside a quiet zone shall provide written notice that a wayside horn is being installed to all railroads operating over the public highway-rail grade crossing, the highway or traffic control authority or law enforcement authority having control over vehicular traffic at the crossing, the State agency responsible for grade crossing safety, the State agency responsible for highway and road safety, and the Associate Administrator. This notice shall provide the date on which the wayside horn will be operational and identify the grade crossing at which the wayside horn shall be installed by both the U.S. DOT National Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Inventory Number and street or highway name. The railroad or public authority shall provide notification of the operational date at least 21 days in advance. (d) A railroad operating over a grade crossing equipped with an operational wayside horn installed within a quiet zone pursuant to this section shall cease routine locomotive horn use at the grade crossing.[A railroad operating over a grade crossing that is equipped with a wayside horn and located outside of a quiet zone shall cease routine locomotive horn use. at the grade crossing on the operational date specified in the notice required by paragraph (c) of this section: { http:f/www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin(text-idx?SID=35048766852c9f6c6r-51719bf6cl dc25&mc=true&node=se49.4.222_159&rgn=div8 111 47- J C) a e, r, {,~7l 1 Thank you, city councilors and city staff, especially Councilor Rosenthal and Adam Hanks, who have prioritized taking serious local action on climate change. Over the last year, many of the Ashland Youth Climate Action students here today met almost weekly to ensure that Ashland's Climate and Energy Action plan is science-based, socially equitable, and accountable. You just heard from some of them, a few great reasons why you should support a Climate Action Ordinance- including the importance of what an ordinance symbolizes to our community, the due diligence of the CEAP, and to ensure climate action is taken seriously in the mid/long-term when our city council and staff has changed. We have been so grateful to meet with a couple of you to talk about the ordinance. We hear concerns that the ordinance may increase liability for the city. Our intent by passing an ordinance is to support the youth-led campaign for accountable and science based climate action in Ashland, not to put the city in risk. The City Councilors in Eugene expressed the same concerns in 2014, however, by working with the groups proposing the ordinance and the city attorney they ensured that no private right of action was created by their Climate Recovery Ordinance. Eugene's ordinance and the draft ordinance Ashland Youth Climate Action and Rogue Climate originally submitted included an accountability section that insured a progress report from the city every 5 years. It reads: "If the five-year comprehensive report indicates that the city is not reaching the adopted targets and benchmarks, the city manager or the manager's designee shall: (a) Conduct an analysis of possible actions to get back on track to achieve the next adopted benchmark, together with a triple bottom line analysis of those options. (b) Develop for council consideration potential revisions to the plan that reflect the necessary actions to achieve the next adopted benchmark. (3) Update the community climate and energy action plan and the internal climate action plan every five years, which shall be based on the updated greenhouse gas inventory." Since passing the ordinance Eugene has not faced any private actions, even though it has been slow to meet some of the initial reporting deadlines. Additionally, I want to make clear that the backdrops of the current federal and state climate lawsuits are the state and federal constitutions. This is not something that cities should be worrying about and is not the intent of the Climate Action Ordinance. We are eager to sit down with city council members, the city attorney, and other city staff to work together to make sure that we are all comfortable with the ordinance. We are not looking to put our city in a vulnerable position, we are looking for socially equitable, science-based, and accountable climate action. Thank you, Allie Rosenbluth (703)298-3639 aliie ~rog__eclirna(e.orti> 7 Mayor John Stromberg and VL-t 4- Distinguished Members of the City Council, We are writing you on behalf of the Rogue Valley Interfaith Coalition in support of your thoughtful January 23rd Study Session review of the proposed Climate Recovery Ordinance and the approval of this Ordinance at the February 7th and 21St City Council Business meetings. This is a reaffirmation of the testimony given at the July 19th Council session. You have heard, and will hear again, moving testimony from our community, especially our exceptional youth, as to the science, quality of life and the economic impact of climate change and the importance of urgent and bold action. We speak to climate change and energy action issues as a moral or spiritual imperative in which we consider right action in the stewardship of the earth and our responsibility to provide input into climate action decisions related to our faith practices. All faiths have text or teachings that mandates humans to care for the earth. What we need is a cultural change as we work in the world that ensures one of right relationship with the earth and all life. Additionally, as members of faith communities we need to give voice to our social justice perspective of climate action and facilitate the voice of the vulnerable and disenfranchised related to climate change mitigation and adaptation. Often the impact of energy production and climate change, as is true with other social justice concerns, falls disproportionately on the vulnerable and disenfranchised. Therefore, we support science based the Climate Recovery Ordinance and an implementing Climate and Energy Action Plan that is socially equitable, protects Ashland's quality of life for all, creates good jobs supporting a regenerative Ashland economy, and holds us accountable to measurable science based goals. In Faith, Robert Block-Brown, for Rogue Valley Interfaith Coalition Mayor John Stromberg and Distinguished Members of the City Council, We are writing you on behalf of the Rogue Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in support of your thoughtful January 23rd Study Session review of the proposed Climate Recovery Ordinance and the approval of this Ordinance at the February 7th and 21s' City Council Business meetings. You have heard, and will hear again, moving testimony from our community, especially our exceptional youth, as to the science, quality of life and the economic impact of climate change and the importance of urgent and bold action. We speak to climate change and energy action issues as a moral or spiritual imperative in which we consider right action in the stewardship of the earth and our responsibility to provide input into climate action decisions related to our faith practices. All faiths have text or teachings that mandates humans to care for the earth. What we need is a cultural change as we work in the world that ensures one of right relationship with the earth and all life. Additionally, as members of faith communities we need to give voice to our social justice perspective of climate action and facilitate the voice of the vulnerable and disenfranchised related to climate change mitigation and adaptation. Often the impact of energy production and climate change, as is true with other social justice concerns, falls disproportionately on the vulnerable and disenfranchised. Therefore, we support science based the Climate Recovery Ordinance and an implementing Climate and Energy Action Plan that is socially equitable, protects Ashland's quality of life for all, creates good jobs supporting a regenerative Ashland economy, and holds us accountable to measurable science based goals. In Faith, i Jim Meckel, Board President Rogue Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship