Citation

Laffey SC. Transp. Q. 2000; 54(1): 69-82.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2000, Eno Transportation Foundation)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article presents the results of a spatial analysis to determine the number of residents and institutions in northeastern Illinois that may be impacted by proposed federal regulations requiring all trains to sound their air horn, as a warning, every time they approach and enter a public-at-grade, railroad-highway crossing. Current operating practice in northeastern Illinois is for locomotive operators not to routinely sound their air horns at 894 of the region's 1,953 grade crossings. The 894 grade crossings, which will experience a change in operating practice, are those grade crossings that either have a whistle ban in place or have been exempted from routine air horn sounding requirements by the Illinois Commerce Commission. The Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) grade crossing and grade crossing accident inventories were used to quantify the current level of grade crossing safety in northeastern Illinois. Next, a geographic information system was employed to estimate the number of individuals who live and work within one-half mile of the 894 grade crossings, which will experience a change in operating practice. In 1996, 2,393,871 individuals Lived within one-half mile of a whistle ban or ICC exempt grade crossing. There were 224 schools, 25 hospitals and 2,867 firms that employ over 50 individuals that were also located within one-half mile of a whistle ban or ICC exempt grade crossing. The horn-sounding requirement of the Swift Rail Development Act of 1994(1) will impact the "peace and quiet" of many communities and their residents in the Chicago area.