Posted by Russell Smith on July 04, 2003 at 08:31:48:
Shades of red and pink begin their spread across the sky and clouds. The expanse of calm across the Ocean and Fort Pond Bay is a luminous pastel blue, brighter than the still-sleeping horizon. Atlantic waves count stones, as birds of every description rise and take flight. Off in the distance, the lighthouse beacon revolves and winks at the morning.
What’s wrong with this picture? It’s the soundtrack. It’s the rumble and roar of up to four or five huge diesel trains sitting in the Montauk station with their engines idling for no good reason. Anyone in Montauk who is not deaf is well aware of what this aural assault is like. When the wind blows a certain way, it’s like having your next-door neighbor steam-cleaning his deck with four or five power-washers, while a propeller plane without a muffler circles over your house. All night long, and into the morning. People who live closer to the station can’t keep their windows open without getting bombarded, not only by the noise pollution, but by the obnoxious fumes from the countless gallons of wasted diesel fuel. One resident has complained that "there are times (especially at night) when it sounds like the locomotive is parked idling outside our bedroom window, and we live probably more than a mile away from the train station."
You might be surprised to learn, however, that the trains do not need to idle more than 20 minutes. In fact, the LIRR stopped its all-night idling practice for a while, due to persistent complaints from one energetic local resident, but resumed when she moved away. Why does the LIRR do this to us? Only one reason. To save a few dollars. Railroad spokespersons have said that it is cheaper to idle the engines all night long, than it is to send a person with the skills allegedly needed to start the trains in the morning.
That’s bizarre. Since when is polluting Montauk acceptable, just because it supposedly saves some money? Should the town start throwing garbage on the beach, because it is cheaper than maintaining the dump? Should we no longer require mufflers on cars, because they cost money?
The good news is that finally something can be done about the LIRR's abuse, permanently. Spearheaded by locals Tom Bogdan and John Craft, a grassroots campaign has been launched to stop this noise obscenity forever. Please go to their well-organized web site, at www.montauk-online.com/lirr, and sign up. Or sign the petition when you see it in town. The campaign is catching on, and residents are signing up in droves. The LIRR is going to have to listen to the people sooner or later. Whether it takes petitions, political pressure, or even a lawsuit on the grounds of public nuisance and negligence, the residents of Montauk have the power to right this wrong. Let’s do it.