Residents petition for trains to stop blowing horns
In the wake of a train accident that killed two young girls in Lakeshore, Ont., on June 10, residents there are calling for fewer train whistles as locomotives pass through town.
Neighbours living approximately 10 kilometres west of of the crash scene have started a campaign to keep the noise down as trains pass by their homes.
Houses on Caille Street have a picturesque view of Lake St. Clair to the front but are backed by a rail line.
'It's so loud. You can't talk. You can't do anything.' — Scott Walker
"And it's extremely loud. Even when you're on the other side of the houses, you can't talk, you can't do anything," resident Scott Walker said.
The residents don't want the blaring horns to stop completely. They say safety is still a top priority.
"We just want two short whistles at the point of the crossings, which is the point of the whistles, so that's what we're looking for," Walker said. "It's not so deafening for the residents and the people walking a long the trail."
Residents are planning a public meeting on the subject. They have also started a petition.
Not everyone in the neighbourhood agrees.
"There have been a lot of deaths in the 15 years that I've lived here," Anna Martell said. "There are lots of young children. Every day we have to cross that track to get our mail.
"I do understand the plight of the neighbours with the noise. However, we have the opposite feeling, that when the train horn doesn't blow, we know something's happened."
Accident killed two, injured three
And something happened June 10.
Wynter Williams, 6, and her sister Brooklyn, 3, died when the minivan they were in collided with a CP Railway freight train.
Their father, 27-year-old Andrew Williams, and their four-year-old brother, Dryden, suffered critical injuries. One-year-old Jasmyn was released from hospital earlier this week.
Residents on Caille Street said that was a different situation. That crash happened at a more rural crossing that didn't have lights or gates.
"Along this section here, we have fencing all the way along; there's lights; there's bells," Walker said. "So there's quite a few safety precautions already in place."
According to the Ministry of Transportation, There have been 11 train accidents in lakeshore since 1990. Five of them were fatal.
Lakeshore Mayor Tom Baine said each crossing has unique safety concerns.
Bain said public works staff is now investigating the railway crossing to see if any changes need to be done.
"You need to look at other factors such as sightline, grading, [the track] coming up to the road and the direction it approaches from. Those are all varying factors," Baine said.