First off, we believe that the issue has already been raised in previous briefs.
We are convinced that noise has adverse effects and consequences on health. This has been proven by the World Health Organization. Our brief contains hyperlinks to the WHO website, which includes the recommendation that noise should not exceed 45 decibels at night and 55 decibels in daytime. These statistics have been scientifically proven.
As Mr. Gauthier indicated, there are two problems related to the railway industry. First, there is noise caused by motor cars and cars being coupled in switching yards. Second, we dealt more specifically with train whistle.
The noise generated by train whistles at grade crossings exceeds in intensity and sound pressure all other noise generated in urban areas. For example, in the Charny rail yard alone, where there is a major switching yard, trains whistle more than 20 times between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. the next morning. A train that whistles at 4:48 a.m. can awaken all the residents of a given town. We are convinced that such micro-awakenings have a detrimental effect not only on the quality of life, but also on the general productivity of all residents who have to put up with such inconvenience.
There are costs to these measures, but we cannot determine the amount.
In the case of train whistles, we are not acoustic, engineering or transport experts. However, we do know that we are no longer living in the 19th century, when trains had to whistle at every grade crossing because communications means at the time were not as developed. The untimely use of train whistles in the 21st century, as we experience it today, harks back to another area. This bygone practice is totally unacceptable.
We are not currently subject to the War Measures Act; as far as I know, we are not at war. So I do not think that a company, a corporate citizen, needs to signal its presence in such an egregious fashion, without any reason. We believe that if there is nothing on the rail track, there is no need to use train whistles. If all car drivers honk their horns each time they cross an intersection, that would cause an appalling din. And yet, that is what trains are currently doing.
In addition to the problem of noise generated by whistles, there is also noise generated by screeching wheels. The general state of disrepair of the rolling fleet , whether it be railway tracks or cars, generates noise that is audible at all hours of the day. You are aware of the problem of CN, for example, which has increased rail traffic exponentially over the past few years, leading to a similar rise in inconvenience and a drop in real estate wealth.
Recently, I had to sell a house that was adjacent to a switching yard. The house has lost almost all of its value. When I bought it in 1993, there were some 10 trains a day. In 2006, a train passes every 15 minutes. It is hard to sell a house when a train passes next to it every 15 minutes and generates noise reaching 90 decibels. That amounts to a loss of real estate wealth.
In addition to noise generated by trains, there are also all kinds of environmental dangers associated with the transportation of hazardous materials.
I would like Mr. Gauthier to speak to the issue.