Train whistles will continue to blow
By Chris Simon

Safety concerns have forced Innisfil council to silence a proposed anti-whistling bylaw.

The bylaw, which would have prohibited GO Transit trains from using their whistles when approaching crossings throughout the town, was rejected by a town committee last week. If the bylaw had been approved, the town would have been held liable for any collisions that took place on GO property within Innisfil, said mayor Brian Jackson.

The bylaw could also have also regulated the usage of crossing bells and other signalling devices.

"There is a huge liability, and we should be mindful that those tracks were around long before a lot of people moved to the back of them," said mayor Brian Jackson.

Two residents living near the Innisfil portion of GO's train tracks have complained about the noise generated by the whistles, and asked council to adopt an anti-whistling zone. However, other councillors say the risk of collision outweighs the noise concerns.

"Everyday, since (the train) has started running, we are awakened at 5:45 a.m.," said resident Kindy Dane, in a letter to council. "Never did we think that the train would be blowing its horn four times, and (each) train goes by every half hour."

Town staff had been looking into the feasibility of a bylaw, but have since suggested the move would be expensive and potentially dangerous.

In 2006, 28 people were seriously injured in 248 highway/ train crossings across the country, while another 59 were killed while trespassing on railway property. About 50 per cent of those collisions occurred at crossing with active warning devices such as gates, lights and bells, according to statistics released by Transport Canada.

"Transport Canada is of the opinion that most of the collisions are preventable," said planning and development director Rob McAuley. "The noise of an approaching train alerts oncoming traffic of an impending crossing. Noise associated with train whistles can be an inconvenience and disturbance to nearby residents, particularly during sleeping hours. Some municipalities have adopted anti-whistling bylaws. Staff have enquired with our police and fire services ... they indicate that blowing a horn is a necessary safety matter."

Councillor Peter Kmet, whose house lies near a crossing in Stroud, understands why the bylaw was rejected.

However, he would like to see GO streamline the whistle signals used by conductors. Often, the conductors use a mix of short and long whistle noises when approaching a crossing.

"Could we look at having consistent whistles?" He said.

"It seems like (the whistles) are longer and shorter, it's not consistent."

Others say an alteration would be difficult.

"This is for safety reasons only," said deputy mayor Gord Wauchope. "There needs to be some sort of notice this is coming; you have to have the whistles. There is a law for the whistle (signals)."