EMMAUS, Pa. — Following a monthlong survey seeking community input on establishing a nighttime "quiet zone" in response to residents' complaints about train noise, borough council shared results this week.
- A survey undertaken by the borough resulted in residents not wishing to implement a quiet zone for nighttime trains
- The estimated cost of approximately $2 million was a major factor in many stating they were not interested in pursuing the project
- A majority of respondents said they lived within five blocks of the railroad tracks
Of the more than 966 participants who responded, only 142 stated that they would be willing to pay an estimated $274 to $350 in extra taxes that the borough estimates would be needed to establish a quiet zone, based on information provided by Norfolk Southern.
Sixty-eight percent of all respondents stated they were not interested in establishing a quiet zone, with the remaining 32% being asked further if they supported the proposal with estimated added costs. Only 14.7% of residents were in favor of establishing a tax to create the zone.
Borough manager Shane Pepe said given the municipality's demographics of approximately 11,400 people, and surveys being considered statistically accurate and representative, it would need to have a response from 5% of the borough, or approximately 570 residents.
Given the response rate, the survey can be considered an accurate reflection of the opinion of the borough's residents, officials said.
Sixty-four percent of the respondents said they had lived in the borough for over 10 years, and the majority (66.9%) said they live within five blocks of the railroad tracks. Thirty-nine percent of respondents live within two blocks of the tracks.
According to the borough, there would be "significant capital costs" involved in upgrading each rail intersection, costing between $1.9 million and $2.3 million for work on six intersections. The survey states that no grants are available for projects.
A somewhat humorous aside in the survey notes that "surprisingly, 120 respondents stated that they were not aware that there were railroad tracks here when they moved here."
Emmaus is a hub of freight rail traffic and averages about 80 trains per day through town.
The survey concluded automatically and counted as not supportive when respondents either stated they would not support it based on additional knowledge of the proposal, such as cost and tax burden, and was restricted by IP address.
For example, 134 of the remaining 299 respondents stated they would no longer be interested when informed of the estimated cost.
Residents weighted from 1 to 10 — with 1 being not and all and 10 being unbearable — how the train noise affects them. The average score was 3.4.
"There was no appetite to recommend to council for a change," said Councilman John Hart, who discussed the action as part of the public safety committee. "Two million is better spent on other more important issues, like our roads, sewer, and water."
Council did not pursue a vote or further action on the issue based on the results of the survey.
