Train horns in Maple Ridge may go silent by end of the year

The sound of train horns will be a thing of the past in the City of Maple Ridge.

Council passed a motion on Tuesday prohibiting the use of train whistles at eight crossings in Maple Ridge.

The City says it has worked with CP Rail to increase safety around train tracks, including improvement to fencing at the Port Haney and Maple Meadows Way crossings.

1:50 Bothersome Dartmouth train whistles to stop thanks to fence installation

Some residents say they don’t mind the noise. Elizabeth Foreman told Global News she’s learned to block the sound out over the years.

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“I would rather hear the train horns then hear someone being creamed by a train,” she said.

But Coun. Gordy Robson said many other residents have been complaining about the noise for years.

“You can hear all the whistles at night, especially some nights, when there’s an inversion, it gets much worse.”

He said the noise is so regular that some residents know the train operator by sound.

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“There’s the odd engineer that wants to give his signature, it’s an announcement, it’s not just a little whistle,” he said.

All but one councillor voted in favor of the ban.

Coun. Kiersten Duncan said people most of the complaints come from people who have chosen to live near train tracks, and who are putting their personal convenience ahead of the public good.

“Safety has to come first above all. Frankly, with all due respect, a lot of residents shouldn’t choose to move close to train tracks if they do not want to hear the whistles,” she said.

She added that the city doesn’t need another tragedy.

“We sadly had a death at one of our train crossing in 2014, where a 16-year-old was struck by a train.”

The motion will be sent to CP Rail who will notify Transport Canada.

The city says train whistles in Maple Ridge will be largely silent by year’s end, however train operators can still sound their horn when people or animals are seen near tracks.