Marjorie Lee - Comments

Please accept the petition to resume the "quiet zone" through the town of Ipswich. The 120 decibel horn sound 20 times with-in about 1/8th of a mile. This occurs 26 times every day. Hundreds of families are affected along the rail corridor, and the sound carries all over town. The small town atmosphere that we cherish is blighted. This is not just an annoyance issue, but one with real health concerns. It begins at 5:40 am. Children are not getting the 10 hours of sleep they need. Going back to sleep (especially in the morning) is impossible for most of us because the commuter rail goes through at 5:39, 6:07,6:42,7:12, 7:17, 8:07 and 8:57. Three of five grade crossings are just one block apart. The next is about 3 blocks away and the one after that less than one block further. 3 of the 5 grade crossings are on minor streets, none more than three blocks long with very little traffic (local only). Since the commuter rail resumed its service to Newburyport, there have been no safety concerns at 4 of the 5 grade crossings. The families affected by the sounding of the whistles are concerned about the safety of their fellow citizens. However, we hope to be granted a quiet zone pending the implementation of other safety measures, as has been done for the previous 3 years and is being done in most other communities along the commuter rail service. Please grant the quiet zone.