Regulations and expenses are hampering an effort to reduce the number of train whistles in Windsor's South Walkerville area.
A city administration report going to the Environment, Transportation and Public Safety Standing Committee indicates train whistles can not be stopped due to a lack of warning systems and safety measures at a number of crossings along the rail track running through the residential area.
The report details administration conversations with Essex Terminal Railway which indicated without the safety measures, the elimination of train whistles is not possible due to a number of federal regulations including those under the Railway Safety Act.
Ward 4 councillor Mark McKenzie raised the issue during a meeting of council in mid-January, seeking to end train whistles between the hours of 9 p.m. and 7 a.m., unless absolutely necessary.
McKenzie says they asked if the whistle volume could be lowered, but ETR said it's already at its lowest volume and suggested the option of putting the whistle under the train, instead of on top.
"I guess that's something they do in some jurisdictions and they're going to be speaking with the federal government to see if that's something actually regulated in Canada, they're just not quite sure," he says.
Administration estimates the cost to install warning systems at the Benjamin Avenue and Hall Avenue grade crossings is in the range of $3-million. It is likely that other crossings along the corridor would also need upgrades to meet the standards for whistling cessation, all at the city's cost.
McKenzie says it's disappointing this issue wasn't brought forward a few years ago because Transport Canada had funding available to address issues like this but it's already been dispersed.
"They would actually fund up to 80 per cent of projects to mitigate train whistle noise in neighbourhoods like this. So if this was brought forward by a previous councillor or previous council, we would have been able to apply for some of those grants the government was offering," he says.
Transport Canada has offered grants to provinces, territories, municipalities and local governments through its Rail Safety Improvement Program to help improve rail safety and reduce injuries and fatalities related to rail transportation, through improved lighting, upgraded rail crossing signals, pedestrian overpasses and research into new safety technologies.
The application period for the funding is now closed according to the Transport Canada website.
McKenzie says he has reached out to Transport Canada and local MP's about the issue.
"Maybe our local MP's can try to get some funding from the federal government. Because $3-million for the city to spend on this just isn't feasible," he adds.
The Environment, Transportation and Public Safety Standing Committee meets at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 29.