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th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, Ju ne 13 ,2 01 9 | 8 North Georgetown resi- dents fed up by increasing train noise in their neigh- bourhood are calling for the horns to be silenced at a nearby crossing. At issue is the line that crosses Trafalgar Road near Lindsay Court - a track facing the home of Don and Susan Gordon that's being used by a grow- ing number of trains. With more traffic comes more noise, and the local couple has had enough. "It's those horn-happy engineers," said Susan. "There are some that start (blowing their horns) a ki- lometre from the crossing and lean on it until they're right through this area. I thought, I have to do some- thing. It's getting ridicu- lous." The Gordons started reaching out to local politi- cians about the issue and also circulated a letter to others in the neighbour- hood encouraging them to do the same. Don suffers from Par- kinson's disease, which makes it difficult for him to get a good night's sleep at the best of times. "If they pound on that horn three times, it defi- nitely wakes me up," he said. "With Parkinson's, you really don't want to wake up in the middle of the night because it's hard to get back to sleep." The loud horns also im- pact their ability to open windows in nice weather, entertain guests outdoors and enjoy their yard, said Susan. So what can be done? According to Metrolinx, it's up to the municipality to initiate the train whistle cessation process. "Municipalities have the option to eliminate whis- tling at specific crossings if they feel that would better reflect their communities' priorities," explained spokesperson Nitish Bisso- nauth. With Trafalgar Road be- ing a regional road, the ju- risdiction for this process falls to Halton, which is re- sponding to residents' con- cerns. Public works com- missioner Jim Harnum told the Independent that the region is conducting a safety assessment at the Trafalgar Road and Lind- say Court crossing this month. This process will evalu- ate a variety of factors, he explained, including: exist- ing conditions of the rail line and crossing, warning systems, current and fu- ture rail and vehicle traf- fic, sightlines of approach- ing and departing trains from the rail crossing, train speeds, adjacent land uses, existing traffic warn- ing signs and pavement markings, along with evi- dence of trespassing activ- ity on the rail line. "Results are expected to be available within several weeks and will indicate whether a whistle exemp- tion is warranted," he said. "Based on the results of the assessment, Halton Region would work directly with Metrolinx to determine what safety-related im- NEWS RESIDENTS PUSHING FOR SILENCE AT TRAFALGAR TRAIN CROSSING THE QUESTION: CAN TRAIN WHISTLES BE STOPPED AT THE REQUEST OF RESIDENTS? THE CONCLUSION: YES, THERE IS A WHISTLE CESSATION PROCESS THE MUNICIPALITY CAN INITIATE WITH METROLINX, INCLUDING A SAFETY ASSESSMENT AND POTENTIAL SAFETY-RELATED IMPROVEMENTS. Don and Susan Gordon have grown weary of the noise coming from the train line, which runs atop the berm pictured through their north Georgetown neighbourhood, and are demanding action on the matter. Melanie Hennessey/Torstar MELANIE HENNESSEY mhennessey@ metroland.com See - page 9 33-7846 12" Tall Planter $1749 33-3574 4" Flowering Annuals $199 Reg 14.99 33-3802X Fresh Shipment of 10" & 12" Hanging Baskets $1299 From 33-5602 Emerald Cedars $2499 All in Stock Fruit Trees 50% oFF 33-2502 Fresh shipment of 10" Majesty Palms & Boston Ferns 33-4907X Fresh Shipment of 1 & 2 Gal Perennials 33-2418X All In Stock Mandevilla on Sale now $799 From HUGE SHIPMENT of fresh Herb, Vegetable & Tomato plants. Assorted varieties. 33-6206X All In-stock Maples 40% oFF up to MAkE THE MoST oF yoUR BACkyARdAdvertised items are available only at Georgetown Canadian Tire, 315 Guelph StreetItems may not be exactly as shown. We reserve the right to limit quantities. No rainchecks. Weekend Savings - Summer Clearance Thurs June 13th - Sun June 16th!Pre 7g Container Grown $899 From up to 33-7160X $499 9 sq.ft. 33-4816 FRESH SOD Arrives Every Thurs & Sat! @CTGeorgetown Sale On Sale Now Store Hours Mon. - Fri. 8-9, Sat. 8-6, Sun. 9-5 Service Hours Mon. - Fri. 7:30-9, Sat. 7:30-6, Sun. 9-5