After 20 months on Fantasy Island, aka Olathe, KS, John and I are back to house-hunting on weekends. Last Friday, a monumental event happened that has given my husband pause to reconsider our desire to move closer to 4720 Oak Street.
Here's the news release:
Downtown Quiet Zone Completion Announced by Mayor Copeland
To rousing applause during his annual State of the City address, Mayor Michael Copeland announced that...trains are no longer required to sound horns on the western tracks through downtown Olathe.
There are exceptions to the quiet zone regulations. For safety reasons, train engineers are responsible for sounding horns, even within the quiet zone, when workers are within 25 feet of the tracks or when other hazardous situations are observed including the presence of persons, animals, or vehicles.
An average of 120 trains travel though the city daily. The 11 crossings on the western tracks running through downtown generated about five hours of whistle noise each day alone. During the transition to a quiet zone, residents and visitors are asked to be patient as train engineers adjust to the new exemptions.
The Downtown Quiet Zone Project began in 2008 and is budgeted at nearly $6,000,000. The project involved constructing safety modifications at 11 at-grade crossings from Woodland Ave. to Dennis St.
I knew that I was losing sleep as a result of the train horns at all hours of the day and night but FIVE HOURS of whistle noise?
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You can see the proximity of our rental house to the tracks (less than a mile to the west). No wonder I'm so crabby! I haven't slept all night in twenty months!
I happily report that in the three days since Olathe became "Quiet Town," I've definitely noticed the difference. It's not enough to keep me from house-hunting on the weekends but getting a full night's sleep should certainly improve my disposition in the car. And maybe in the newsroom!
