Quiet Zones

[Steve]

The last I checked, dalelakin, only the county's operations budget, not the city's, benefits from the property taxes that new suburban housing generates.

[LakeEffect]

Steve interesting point but I think that would fall into the point that cafeboeuf is making and considering both which should be addressed first? I would think there is a greater potential for larger tax increases from the development of the suburbs than the inner city. However suburban living is not near as chic and should take a back seat to the urban dwellers right?

Actually, my point is that it's easier to generate new tax growth in areas where infrastructure already exists, i.e, urban areas, than it is in the outlying areas. Why would you want to promote growth where it costs the City an large amount of money to sustain the growth, than in the in area where the costs have already been expended? The cost to expand in suburban areas outweighs the sales tax generated by incoming residents in outlying areas.

Suburban growth would only be relatively sustainable if the new residents were not already from OKC, or, if they were moving within OKC, their original homes would be filled by outsiders. Therefore, we can only support suburban growth if we could find a way to support a much higher infill growth rate.

[metro]

Okay, so I finally got an update from reputable people on the inside of the "Quiet Zone" issue yesterday. Looks like the City Council and persons who need to be involved are finally on board and realize this is a needed project and is one of several top priorities on the list for future improvements. Realistically we're probably looking at 2012 before it's complete I'm told, but people are pushing to get it done sooner. We're looking at about $4 million dollars but that will create a quiet zone all the way past NW 23rd street. Right now the City is trying to figure out creative ways to find the funding, perhaps even seeing if there is federal money that could help out. Dang train woke me up about 3 times last night at all hours of the night, the last one being around 6:45am.

[Nermel]

This is a waste of taxpayer money to create "quiet zones". If you don't like the sound of trains, don't move close to where the tracks are...

[metro]

So we should just avoid ALL of downtown? Do you realize 50,000 plus people work downtown (the largest concentration of workers in the state), and then another 3,000 or more people live in the area, and this isn't even counting the Health Sciences Center, the State Capitol complex and nearby neighborhoods, if you add in those, we're talking well over 100,000 people, by far the most densely populated section of the state.

[bandnerd]

Where I grew up, I was at least half a mile from the tracks that divided our little town in half. I could hear the trains at 3am even that far away! It's almost impossible to "avoid" them, as a poster has suggested.

[betts]

This is a waste of taxpayer money to create "quiet zones". If you don't like the sound of trains, don't move close to where the tracks are...

A quiet zone in this region will probably give the city a big return on their investment. If you look at the area in question now, and then calculate what kind of property tax return the city will get with new development in this area if a quiet zone in created, it's probably a no brainer to spend a few million dollars.

[OKCisOK4me]

God, Imagine Chicago. It's a railroad hub! What do all those poor people do?!
Regardless, I think the quiet zones will be nice. As a train enthusiast, I wouldn't mind it. It's not like you still won't be able to hear the rumble of the diesel engines from far away.

[metro]

OKC, you might mind it if you live a mile away from the area in question (with 8 inch thick concrete walls) and you can still hear it several times a night, after midnight, on in until sunrise everyday........

[Luke]

Comes with the territory.

[khook]

use to live in lincoln terrace and the train was louder over there then it is now on the eastern edge of heritage hills were I live now.

[okclee]

I wonder if the train conductors know about this quiet zone issue and have been blowing the whistles more frequently, especially at night.

I have noticed it more as of late, but that may be because now I am in tune with the whistles.

[CCOKC]

My sister stayed at the Renaissance a few years back when she was in town to get a good night sleep away from her two toddler boys. Her plans were dashed when the train kept her awake all night. So, don't forget the impact on the tourism dollars here. I am sure we would not want visitors to our city to just stay somewhere away from the tracks.

[OKCisOK4me]

OKC, you might mind it if you live a mile away from the area in question (with 8 inch thick concrete walls) and you can still hear it several times a night, after midnight, on in until sunrise everyday........

That was the point of what I posted. On any given windless, crisp, fall night you can hear the whistles of an engine on one of those trains from as far as 10 miles away. So I'm not disagreeing with you and whether you have two feet of concrete between you and the engine--I'm betting you'd still hear it!

[betts]

That was the point of what I posted. On any given windless, crisp, fall night you can hear the whistles of an engine on one of those trains from as far as 10 miles away. So I'm not disagreeing with you and whether you have two feet of concrete between you and the engine--I'm betting you'd still hear it!

I agree, one can hear train whistles from quite a ways away. I used to hear them well when I lived about a mile away from the closest grade level crossing.

However, sound intensity (energy quantity) decreases with 1/r², so people living a mile away hear train noise with far less intensity than if you're living a half a block from the track. The air horns can be quite loud. There's quite a bit of variability in how different engineers lay on the horn, but it's all loud if you're up close. The brain does learn to shut off sound, which is why one can learn to sleep through train whistles, but if you're already awake, it can be quite impressive.

[LakeEffect]

Okay, so I finally got an update from reputable people on the inside of the "Quiet Zone" issue yesterday. Looks like the City Council and persons who need to be involved are finally on board and realize this is a needed project and is one of several top priorities on the list for future improvements. Realistically we're probably looking at 2012 before it's complete I'm told, but people are pushing to get it done sooner. We're looking at about $4 million dollars but that will create a quiet zone all the way past NW 23rd street. Right now the City is trying to figure out creative ways to find the funding, perhaps even seeing if there is federal money that could help out. Dang train woke me up about 3 times last night at all hours of the night, the last one being around 6:45am.

Did you get your update from the Planning Dept., the Finance Dept., or the Public Works Dept.? Just curious...