There is no "I" in team as the cliche goes.
Closter and surrounding towns are seeing this lesson.
Officials from Closter, Harrington Park, Norwood, Northvale and Haworth are all part of a debate regarding a "quiet zone" initiative along the corridor of their railroad crossings.
While the plan presents a charming idea, some Borough leaders aren’t on board.
There is "no point to the plan, unless towns are in concert," Closter Mayor Sophie Heymann said.
The quiet zone would forbid train conductors from sounding the warning whistle while crossing at junctions. This plan would require alternative safety measures at railroad crossings because residents would no longer have audible warnings of a train’s approach.
Proponents are exploring some of these safety initiatives: namely, a four-section gate, a channeling device and a median gate. Each are designed to prevent traffic from attempting to beat the lowering gate when a train is crossing.
Heymann said the plan is just not safe.
She explained that Closter’s road structures and narrow intersections would not support the quiet zone’s implementation. She pointed out that Closter’s railroad corners already make it difficult to anticipate traffic due to low sight visibility. The quiet zone plan would only increase the physical risk for residents, she said.
Similarly, Harrington Park is "stuck between a rock and a hard place," said Borough Clerk Sue Nelson.
She said the Borough does want to satisfy its residents who want the quiet zone, but there are many issues to be considered and researched before a plan is passed. Nelson is also concerned about liability issues. If an accident happens, who should be considered responsible?
Heymann and Nelson also brought up the funding issue. New York State has funds designed to support projects such as this. New Jersey, on the other hand, does not.
Nelson mentioned that the most reasonable form of the quiet zone would be to use wayside horns at the crossings instead of train horns. Still, to install just one of these horns would be $60,000, an expensive venture for the local governments.
These towns are close together. Noise in one means noise in another.
