The following is an ‘Ask The Chief’ question submitted to TLS, and the Chief’s response. Email your questions for the Chief to [email protected].
Question:
Dear Chief Myer,
I want to wish you and your entire staff a healthy warm winter.
I recently moved into an area that is very residential. The streets are quiet and beautiful.
Everyone is aware that there is a commercial freight train running through Lakewood. It just so happens that the tracks run a few hundred feet from our house. The first Thursday night we were in our house at approx. 11:30 PM a train goes by rumbling and honking. But it doesn’t just pass by. It travels back and forth rumbling and honking until all the cars are unloaded at some building material establishments on James Street.
We have since been dealing with the fact that every Thursday night the train starts honking and rumbling by back and forth at 11:30 PM.
It’s hard to understand why this needs to take place at 11:30 at night? Is this within the law that a freight train can unload and disturb the quiet peace of everyone’s sleep by honking and rumbling through at that hour? If it’s not within the law what can your department do to stop this?
Sincerely,
A Lakewood resident
The Chief’s Response:
I sent our quality of life officers over to Woodhaven Lumber and spoke to John Ferrie concerning the aforementioned subject. He explained the delivery comes once a week on Thursday anywhere between 2300 – 0200hrs.This is the only run The reasoning for the late delivery is due to having to use the Commuter/Transit Line from South Amboy until switching to the Freight Line in the area of Tinton Falls. Offloading the freight is accomplished at this time as not to interfere with the morning Commuter/Transit Line. According to them there is no other possibilities to do the offloading as the train has to leave and be clear before the other trains run. This is the last of 3 offloading yards and you can imagine the amount of lumber that comes into this town by rail for all of the construction.
The Municipal Ordinance Book did not list anything with regards to trains or their hours of operation and confirmed this with the Clerk’s Office. I think you would have to direct your question to the train authority who is running the trains and perhaps they can leave the cars with the lumber until the next day so the offloading can take place during normal hours.
I would also offer to have the quality of life officers meet with you and other area residents and perhaps bring this back to the committee if the rail authority cannot address the issue. We are here to help always,
Respectfully,
Chief Meyer
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Have a question for the Chief? Email it to [email protected]
I always wondered why people bought houses so close to the train tracks. The trains have been running for many years already. But as long as people will buy them the developers will build them. I definitely sympathize with you but I dont think the trains should have to change their schedules.
Cheif Meyer for mayor
Yes but please address why all the honking at 11:30 at night??who is the train honking 2? Is the trian unaware that people are sleeping and it is very disturbing to thousands of people?
By law the train has to blow its horn while coming up to and crossing all railroad crossings, doesn’t matter what time or day it is.
Who was there 1st ?
Would rather it at 11:30 then hold up traffic smack in the middle of the day…
Its best this way, that you kvetch from your bed instead of having the train run back and forth while all the kids are chasing it! grow up.
Want were you thinking when you bought the hoise. Or did the real estate agent just convince you that it only comes once a week so it’s not really a problem & everyone live with it.
That was a really helpful response. He really dealt with the question. Meeting with people, and suggesting how to deal with it further. Kudos to the chief!
To all the people asking why people would move near the tracks… It’s not just those people who hear the loud honking at night. I hear it pretty loud in the Albert area. When it’s quiet at night, that honking sound travels pretty far.
I live a few blocks away from the tracks (as do thousands of others.) I have lived here for close to 12 years and can say definitively that until recently this was not such a big issue. I dont know what changed, but for the past couple of months the train has been extra loud for extra long, honking incessantly at ridiculous hours. So to all the clowns who commented earlier regarding our choice of location, it is not only those who the train runs through their backyards that are bothered by this. This is a real legitimate issue and I appreciate the efforts that were made in this regard. I would love to know if an ordinance can be created to address this.
Additionally, as this has recently become much worse, can someone find out what changed? Is there a new conductor? Is this incessant long honking retribution for the constant knocking down of the RR sign at 7th St.?
Is there some type of nefarious activity happening on the tracks that they need moved?
Did they get a new locomotive with a supersonic horn that they are trying to show off?
Are they in cahoots with local coffee shops to promote sales?
The questions go on and on, maybe we should hire a special council to investigate. I hear that Robert Mueller may be out of a job soon, maybe this is the next thing for him to look into…
it becomes more of an issue when there is less trees to buffer the noise
a little civility please. A person can ask a question. If there is another way to accommodate the train schedule without waking everyone up. Is the writer wrong for asking if that is possible?
Sheesh. Everyone, take a chill!
My children love the train. They love waving to the conductor from their backyard. It has not disturbed anyone’s sleep yet.
We hear it too and we live pretty far from the tracks!
I’m just wondering why I’ve been hearing at 9.30 pm every thursday night and not 11.30?
It’s annoying And I think its a great question.
I hope they find a better solution. Maybe if they installed gate to block the tracks they wouldn’t have to blow their horn so much?
I just try to think of it as a signal that Shabbos Kodesh is coming. Time for the Weekly Nesivos Shalom Shiur and some hot Chulent!
There is a noise law in the state of NJ that the police must enforce. Anything over a certain decibel after 10 pm is illegal.
Very supprised the chief law man is unaware.
CHAPTER BH:XVI NOISE REGULATIONS
BH:16-1 PURPOSE.
Excessive, unnecessary or unusually loud noise within the Township of Lakewood is a condition which is detrimental to public health, comfort, convenience, safety, and welfare of the residents of the Township of Lakewood.
The necessity in the public interest for the provisions and prohibitions hereinafter contained and enacted, is declared as a matter of legislative determination and public policy, and it is further declared that the provisions and prohibitions hereinafter contained and enacted are in pursuance of and for the purpose of securing and promoting the public health, comfort, convenience, safety, and welfare and the peace and quiet of the Township of Lakewood and its inhabitants.
(1971 Code § BH:16-1)
BH:16-3 CREATION OF LOUD OR UNNECESSARY NOISES PROHIBITED.
It shall be unlawful for any person to make, continue or cause to be made any excessive, unnecessary or unusually loud noise or any noise which either annoys, disturbs, injures or endangers the comfort, repose, health, peace or safety of others, within the limits of the Township.
In any zone of the Township, noise shall be measured from the point of annoyance to the source where a noise originates. The sound level radiated over a measurable period of time shall not exceed sixty (60) decibels between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. or fifty-five (55) decibels between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., as measured on the “A” weighted scale by a sound level meter in decibels RE:0.0002 microbar.
BH:16-5 ADDITIONAL NOISE PROHIBITIONS.
The following acts, among others, are declared to be loud, disturbing, and unnecessary noises in violation of this chapter. Said enumeration shall not be deemed to be exclusive, namely:
BH:16-5.1 Horns; Signaling Devices.
The sounding of any horn or signaling device on any automobile, motorcycle, bus, truck or other vehicle on any street or public place, except as a warning pursuant to the provisions of N.J.S. 39:3-69. (1971 Code § BH:16:5.1)
BH:16-7 ENFORCEMENT.
This chapter shall be enforceable by all law enforcement personnel employed by the State of New Jersey, County of Ocean and/or the Township of Lakewood including, but not limited to Police Officers, Special Officers, Code Enforcement Officers, Health Inspectors and the like. (1971 Code § BH:16-7)
BH:16-8 ADDITIONAL REMEDY, INJUNCTIVE RELIEF.
The operation or maintenance of any device, instrument, vehicle or machinery in violation of any provision hereof and which causes annoyance or which endangers the comfort, repose, health or peace of residents in the area shall be deemed, and is declared to be, a public nuisance and may be subject to abatement summarily by a restraining order or injunction issued by a court of competent jurisdiction.
Your kids will grow up woth it and they will get used to it. Maybe it’ll teach them that life isnt perfect, which seems something u were not taught.
so you moved into a house a couple hundred feet from the tracks and you don’t expect to hear the train?
you should be happy it only comes by once a week.
The issue isn’t the train but rather the honking that disturbs thousands of people.. the chief didn’t address that..
Wait until passenger service comes back
Lets build a bridge so the train won’t cross any streets, thereby having no need to it to toot its horn!
Where are all the bloggers who manage to blame everything that goes wrong in this town -from the flooding to the dishonest cleaning ladies, on new construction going up all across this town. This would have been a good reason to blame it on new construction. Imagine if no more construction then no more need for lumber thus no more need for trains.. no more rumbling and no more honking…and no more sleepless nights..
If all it is it building materials , why cant it be trucked in?
Whomever hears the noise should call Woodhaven every Thursday until its resolved! If they want to do something about it they can. I live over a mile from the tracks & it wakes my kids up every Thursday night. Yes its at 9:30 & 11:30 and sometimes as late as 1 AM. (I’m curious if other townships allow it)
Now,
The blowing of the horn is required by federal law which supersedes a township ordinance. Nice try though.