I work right next to the tracks and hear anywhere from 6 to 20 SMART trains go through the intersection everyday as they are testing/training. the horns sound awful. That being said I get to go home and not hear them at 5:00am or 8:00pm so they are not a bother to me. Most crossing in the Santa Rosa area are not 4 gates but do have the curb running for what appears to be 50' between lanes to prevent running around the gates. The only city that complained before even SMART started was Novato wanting a quiet zone(and low emission engines) when NWP started back up. I guarantee that the general public has no idea that liability will fall on those cities that adopt quiet zones. SMART would be smart in letting them have their quiet zones and everything that comes with it.

On a side note i mentioned this article to my boss and he said "well BART doesn't sound horns" I said they also don't have grade crossing or share the rightaway with freight. people just don't get it.