Petaluma moves toward establishing SMART train ‘quiet zone’

From the backyard of Lindsay and Brian Doyle’s Rocca Drive home in Petaluma, the noise from the SMART train is excruciating. Standing at the couple’s back door, the tracks are about 100 feet away - so close they can see the engineer, Lindsay Doyle said.

They live between the Lakeville Street and Payran Street crossing, but in addition to those horn blasts, she said, the engineers have taken to blasting a third horn where the tracks curve behind her house.

On Tuesday, the Petaluma City Council voted unanimously to try to fix that, giving the city the go-ahead to apply for a “quiet zone” along its SMART rail corridor. If the application is approved, the zone would run from Corona Road to Caulfield Lane and would get rid of the legal mandate that engineers blast their horn at every single crossing, instead giving them the discretion as to whether it’s necessary.

“I’m ecstatic,” said Doyle, who is the mother of a 3-year-old girl and expecting a newborn in January. “It’s a little intense sometimes. Our 3-year-old is now used to the train, but expecting a newborn, it’s a little unsettling. ... I feel it will interrupt my newborn’s sleeping patterns.”

Officials estimate that once the application process begins, it could take from three to six months for the Federal Railroad Administration to make a decision.

The city must first file a “notice of intent,” after which there is a 60-day comment period. Once any comments are addressed by the city, a “notice of establishment” will be submitted. After that, it’s three more weeks until trains stop routinely blasting their horns. Commuter rail service is expected to begin in late spring 2017.

The process has already been started in Santa Rosa, Novato and San Rafael.

“I’ve heard a lot of noise about the noise,” said Mayor David Glass. “It had to be dealt with.”

In making its decision, ?the council weighed the potential liability of establishing a quiet zone in case a catastrophe ever did occur.

“The concern is that if ever anything happens, (the quiet zone) will prove to be a bad decision,” Glass said. “The alternative is that everyone’s quality of life is impacted by a decibel level that is uncomfortable, and at inconvenient hours. You have to take action.”

The train currently blasts its horn between 96 and 110 decibels, the same level as a power saw.

“Hopefully the process will go smoothly,” said Councilman Gabe Kearney, who lives within hearing distance of a crossing. “I’m hoping that the 60-day period for comments will be shortened. .?.?. I’m hoping we don’t have to wait the full 60 days.”

If Petaluma establishes a quiet zone, it will only affect people within city limits, though, which leaves out those in unincorporated areas. County Supervisor David Rabbitt, who sits on the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit Authority board of directors, and whose district includes Petaluma, said the only way for residents in unincorporated areas to establish a quiet zone is to bring it up to their county supervisor.

There are four public crossings between Petaluma and Cotati, he said. When the trains first started running, he heard very little from residents about the horn blasts, but as they run more and more frequently, the complaints from residents in unincorporated areas - especially Penngrove - are starting to increase.

He said that at the county level, staff are already laying the preliminary groundwork toward establishing a quiet zone, researching what’s involved and what improvements would be needed, if any.

“If people (in unincorporated ares) want a quiet zone, I will definitely go to bat for them and have them included,” he said.

“I just want to make sure the majority of residents do want that.”

You can reach Staff Writer Christi Warren at 707-521-5205 or christi.warren@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @SeaWarren.