Railroad quiet zones are needed in town

Regarding the article in the Bee on Sept. 16, 2014: As one of the hundreds of people living near railroad crossings in Sandpoint I want to thank Councilman Bob Camp for his actions. He deserves praise for his effort to make life in Sandpoint more peaceful for a large number of its residents.

If you watch what goes on at the local railroad crossing you see a picture that is slightly ridiculous. First there are the flashing lights that tell you to stop your car because a train is coming. Then the gate comes down across the road and blocks passage. This is shortly followed be the blasting of the train horn three or more times to warn anyone who didn’t see the lights and decided to crash through the gate and was now stranded on the tracks.

Often the blasting horn goes on and on, causing stress to people for miles around. Those without air conditioning have trouble sleeping in the summer with their windows open. Others with air conditioning keep the air conditioning on at night to be able to sleep through the noise of the blasting train horns. This wastes energy and causes people who may not be wealthy to stretch their budgets.

Good luck with your work to make Sandpoint a better place to live, Councilman Bob Camp.

KARL FUCHS

Sandpooint