Downtown areas are getting even more noisy

On Oct. 3, a pedestrian lost his life in Old Town in a train accident and since then we have heard train horns all afternoon and all evening, even after midnight. I live at First Avenue and Spruce Street, far away, and it is easy to hear.

I would like to see an investigative article about what railroad policy is in this regard, and what plans there are for the future; perhaps a softer horn could brief ly sound instead of a long wail. I suspect there are national offices involved, and it is position of the federal government that local laws relating to railroads are unenforceable.

We are all respectful of public safety, but our citizens are also entitled to a good night’s sleep.

Mike Schaefer

Bankers Hill

My primary residence for many years has been the Park Place condominiums facing Harbor Drive at Kettner Boulevard. It is a six-lane road and the site of frequent parades and protest marches. No problem. San Diego Bay is a daily

route for Marine helicopters and Ospreys. No problem. There is no barrier between us and the jets and jet engine testing on North Island. No problem.

The only really intrusive noises we experience daily and into the evening hours are produced by motorcycles, hot rods and exotic cars, by owners who treat Harbor Drive as a raceway. They deliberately rev unmuff led exhaust systems, which produce noise levels far beyond those permitted under our municipal code. They represent a huge intrusion on our quality of life Downtown.

Hopefully, a brief period of strict enforcement would make homes on Harbor Drive livable again.

Larry L. Marshall

Downtown