Dear Council Members
I am writing you to urge you to move forward with establishing a quiet Zone at Oak Grove Ave., Glenwood Ave., and Encinal Avenue. My home at 416 Glenwood Ave. is situated between Mill Street and Laurel Street. The train horn of every train that goes by can be readily heard in my Home with all the windows closed. The train horns of freight trains are especially loud and can be heard from a great distance. The requirement that the train horns be sounded at least 1/4 mile prior to the crossing means that they can be heard several times for each train that goes by. Conversations need to be paused outside of my home while the train crosses Glenwood Avenue. Conversations May also need to be paused when a freight train goes by when inside of a home. Since I am blind, I often use dictation to enter text on my phone. The train horns interfere with the microphone and, more importantly, one's concentration while formulating the text to be entered. The train horns often make it impossible for me to hear hazards in my environment while walking in my neighborhood. These hazards include bicycles and cars approaching the crosswalk, cars backing out of their driveway, and pedestrians in front of me. I believe the quality of life of everyone in my neighborhood would be improved by establishing a Quiet Zone in Menlo Park.
Thank you for listening to my concerns.
Cordially yours,
Ezio alviti
