What's Lame . . . . .
Author: Alan C. Miller
Date: 01-18-2010 - 19:53
. . . is that when FRA made the Quiet Zone law, it was custom made for those who complain to pressure their county and city officials. Because a small minority, appearing as a large unified group, could pressure the local government to take action which includes spending large quantities of local taxpayer dollars to satisfy the vocal minority, even if a majority do not mind the trains. This is supplemnted by the downtown booster types rooted in hotel chains that wish to use taxpayer dollars to fill a few more rooms in their hotel by claiming "economic developement downtown" by quieting the train horns. I submit in most towns the natives are used to it, and the newcomers are dumb asses if they bought too close. One exception is those that have a massive increase in traffic that wasn't foreseen such as a commuter line going in -- I think those people are justified in seeking relief for something they didn't expect -- like a several fold increase. I don't consider the situation in Reno anywhere near the kind of increase I am speaking of.