The following is an ‘Ask The Mayor’ question submitted to TLS, and the Mayor’s response. Email your questions for the Mayor to AskTheMayor@thelakewoodscoop.com.
Question:
Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to the community’s questions.
Late every Thursday evening, the train passes through Lakewood and honks and honks. Sometimes it can last for 45 minutes and sometimes it continues past midnight.
This is very annoying as it wakes me and my family up. Is there any sort of law or anything we can do to change this as I am sure I am not the only one with this complaint?
Thank you so much for taking the time to respond and I hope we can resolve this issue.
A Lakewood resident
Response from Mayor Coles:
These trains have been coming through town for almost as long as the town has been here. I have heard them many times, and I live at the far northeast part of town. Amazingly, as fascinated by trains as I am, I have never seen one go through town in the 29 years I have been here.
I will ask our town manager to send a letter to Conrail and ask if the honking can be toned down or eliminated later at night.
We must also do our part. I am not the only one fascinated by trains. We had issues where many children (and some adults) would gather next to the tracks as the trains went by. This was totally innocent, but the engineers felt there was a safety issue and were afraid someone would get hurt. The honking is strictly to warn people and cars about the train crossing a street, since it is possible for people and cars to stop and stay out of the way, something a train cannot do..Hopefully they will agree and tone down the noise.
Ray
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Have a question for the Mayor? Send it to AskTheMayor@thelakewoodscoop.com
Maybe don’t buy a home so close to the tracks? The tracks have been there before your home so it’s not like they threw this on you….. trains honk to notify pedestrians and drivers.
Almost like asking the above ground trains in Brooklyn not to make too much rattling noises as they pass. Simple solution is buy a home further away from tracks.
What are these trains for? Why do they go only once a week?
These trains do deliveries for Woodhaven. Simply, buy out Woodhaven, build a development and just like that no more trains honking!
Don’t buy a home near the tracks? Let the trains roll thru town, AT A DESCENT HOUR!! I understand they need to warn they are approaching. Why must they do this trip so late at night?
The Conductor insane hoking is a quality of life problem!
Why are the train deliveries only at night?
Why honk so many times?
Even if he made that amount of noise during the day it should not be acceptable.
Can I suggest to the Mayor to personally come to the Park Ave area tonight and understand that this is “REAL” problem and can be solved.
Forget Park Ave area. I live a few blocks away and it wakes up my whole house. Why does it need to honk for a half hour straight at 11:30 pm??
Isn’t there some sort of law that you can’t have loud music/noise after 11??
The incessant honking at 11:30 in the Park Ave area is due to cars being parked too close to the tracks. The engineer has no choice but to blow his horn. He’s stuck!
Also, I don’t think that they can lower the volume or to be it down. It’s regulated to a specific decibel.
You mean to say there are cars parked “every” week at “every” intersection?
Please correct me if I’m wrong.
Most of the people complaining about the train are living in homes built with the materials delivered by that same train.
If it came during the day there would be requests for it to come at night so as not to add to the insane traffic during the day!
been there, done that! spot on! some people just complain.
Wow, this is certainly a “me, me, me” question/complaint. I guarantee you this train has been running in town far longer than you’ve been around and they blow the whistle for everyone’s safety, not to just annoy you. The township doesn’t have anything to do with this, federal and state laws regulate how and when trains blow their whistle and the penalty for failing to do so is extremely steep. Trains are required by federal law to sound their horns at grade crossings (CFR 49-229 I believe). State law provides for how many times they have to blow the whistle, for how long and so many yards before the train gets to the crossing and (in what pattern) they blow the whistle as it goes over the crossing. It’s not a random thing. The whistle isn’t being blown for no reason, State law requires it to be blown, so the engineers have no choice. A lot of times railroads are doing business before the start of the business day because they are trying to accommodate a lot of different factors — usually the customers of the businesses that send shipments out. If there wasn’t work being done in the middle of the night, nothing would move. The wood and lumber shipments that arrive via train in Lakewood have to be ready to be delivered by truck in the morning to the many constructions sites around town, hence, the need for a middle of the night train route.
Get some ear plugs.
@jay great idea about Woodhaven but I heard he doesn’t want to sell.
The should have 1 cop at each train passing intersection, on thursday nights, when the train passes, to keep people away
Every Thursday night take the opportunity to put on your earbuds and spend an hour or two listening to a Torah shiur or even your favorite music or classical music while learning. Got lemons? Make lemonade with Zechus!
you bought a house by train tracks and you don’t want to hear the train? it’s been going through town forever!
I bet with some organization the locals can gather enough money to buy out Woodhaven (and build 1,000 more townhouses….). It would probably raise their property value as well.
In regards the train doesn’t blow the horn for hours to be. Second it is REGULATIONS THAT THE TRAIN HAS TO BLOW THE HORN WITH INN A CERTIAN AMOUNT OF DISTANCE OF STREET CROSSINGS. At one point in time LAKEWOID had a train station right in between OCEAN AVE AND SECOND street there were talks about having NEW JERSEY TRANSIT TO REOPEN THAT TRAIN LINE AND IT WOULD BRING revenu into LAKEWOOD. That’s all I am saying
can’t wait for them to re open the train lines to ny like it was many years ago
I don’t know what you do with your precious time, but if some of it is spent driving through town, be thankful the train comes only at night.
Why can’t the train come on Shabbos that would solve allot of issues