8/13/1991 - Laserfiche WebLink

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r AUG 13 '19T BOOK • Fh�!UC and 6 a.m. and they could be hit by a train. Furthermore, trains would not have horns if they were not meant to be blown. Matt McAndrews, 4115 Indian River Drive, also lost a child at an unprotected railroad crossing. He felt safety has precedence over inconvenience. Mr. McAndrews believed we have to protect ourselves from the railroads because the railroads have had precedence with the federal government. Mr. McAndrews corrected an earlier comment; there is no law that says a train cannot apply their brakes in an emergency situation; that is not true. Commissioner Scurlock pointed out our ordinance allows an engineer to sound the horn if he sees an emergency; so, it is not an absolute ban. Mr. McAndrews was concerned about malfunction and felt the horn is the last safety precaution. During electrical storms, for instance, the gates come down and people do stupid things. He also commented that if you cannot hear a whistle in your car, how can you hear it in your home with windows closed and under blankets and pillows. Commissioner Scurlock asked whether the engineer receives a signal that a grade is not functioning. Public Works Director Jim Davis believed there is a visible signal that the train engineer can see. Commissioner Scurlock also pointed out that under our ordinance, in torrential rains, the engineer is allowed to blow the whistle. Director Davis added that the FEC continually upgrades the signals in our County at the crossings and they bill us when they do. We spend about sixty thousand dollars a year paying the FEC for signals. Commissioner Wheeler said there is a lot he agrees with and a lot he disagrees with and felt there is quite a bit of difference between being in a car on a Saturday night with the windows up and the radio on, and being in your bed at two in the morning, and awakened from a deep sleep. He reiterated his belief that the whistle is not as important as the headlight on the train and the flashing lights at the crossings. Jack Graham, 59 Woodland Drive, corrected a misnomer; there has not been a train whistle in forty years. These are train horns and there is a great difference between a train horn and a whistle. He said he had been eagerly awaiting the figures Mr. Corley brought, which tell us that there are great increases in accidents in Dade and Broward Counties, but that in Indian River and many other counties there have been some increases and some decreases. He compared the federal rule on sounding train horns to forcing 24