Even In Olympia, They’re Tired Of Train Whistles In Valley

The chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee says he’s sick and tired of hearing about the Spokane Valley’s train whistle woes.

For the fourth year in a row, Valley lawmakers are pushing bills that would allow Spokane County to ban the blowing of train whistles at gated crossings. The efforts are in response to the repeated complaints of motel owners and residents who say the noisy trains harm their businesses and reduce the value of their homes.

Transportation Committee chairman Sen. Brad Owen, D-Shelton, is co-sponsoring a bill with Sen. Bob McCaslin, R-Spokane Valley, and Sen. Eugene Prince, R-Thornton, which would allow counties to enact ordinances banning the blowing of train whistles at gated crossings, something cities can already do.

Railroad officials have consistently opposed efforts to create whistle-free zones, saying they could lead to more accidents. Each year, their arguments have helped kill the Valley’s hopes for peace and quiet.

Two Valley motel owners told the Senate Transportation Committee Wednesday the racket is getting even worse as train traffic increases.

“We can’t take it any more,” said Tony Lazanis, who owns Eastgate Motel at Trent and University.

Under current state law, it is a misdemeanor for locomotive engineers to fail to ring a bell or sound a whistle when at least a quarter mile from a railroad crossing.

“We’re hopeful that this might be the year you can get rid of this little issue and pass it,” Rep. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, told the Transportation Committee.

Rep. Larry Crouse, R-Spokane Valley, told the committee he sympathizes with the plight of Valley residents bothered by whistle blowing. He has introduced a bill in the House that is identical to McCaslin’s Senate effort.

Crouse said he moved to the Valley eight years ago and leased a home near the tracks. Shortly after he and his wife signed the lease, a train went by, blasting its whistle.

“We just kind of looked at each other and said, `What did we get ourselves into?”’ Crouse said. When their lease was up, the Crouses moved.

Patrick Halstead, a lobbyist for Burlington Northern Railroad, told the committee railroads don’t want to be bad neighbors, but they worry accidents would increase without the train whistles. Railroads don’t want to get sued if cars are hit by trains that did not sound a warning, he said.

Halstead added that a law passed by Congress last year could open the door for counties and railroads to work together to solve the problem, even without a change in state law.

But Ray Thieman, owner of the Red Top Motel near the corner of Trent and Park streets was skeptical.

“That’s what they’ve been saying for four years now,” Thieman said in an interview after the hearing.