SAN ANTONIO \u2013 Tricia Fayadh says she is woken up nearly every night by loud, repetitive train horns that echo throughout her Southwest Side neighborhood. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just continuous honking,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
In a video she captured and sent to KSAT, she recorded 16 honks in one minute.<\/p>\n
She said the train tracks run right across the street from her neighborhood, Villas de Esperanza, and that trains blow their horns almost every night. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s so loud,\u201d neighbor Yvette Rendon said, \u201cit seems like it\u2019s going straight into one ear and out the other.\u201d<\/p>\n
Their neighborhood reached out to District 5 Councilmember Teri Castillo\u2019s office.<\/p>\n
District 5 said it is \u201caware of the ongoing noise concerns,\u201d a spokesperson for the office confirmed, and said it submitted a request to \u201cevaluate the feasibility of establishing a Quiet Zone in the area.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, a spokesperson with the city\u2019s transportation department said this year\u2019s budget did not \u201callocate funding for feasibility studies or the creation of new Quiet Zones.\u201d<\/p>\n
District 5 said establishing a Quiet Zone is a lengthy and costly process, \u201ctaking 2\u20135 years and starting at approximately $20,000 for a feasibility study alone.”<\/p>\n
So, why do the trains honk anyway? A spokesperson with Union Pacific said horns are used \u201cto protect the public and our employees.\u201d <\/p>\n
They said federal regulations require horns to be sounded \u201cfor 15 to 20 seconds before entering public grade crossings\u201d as well as if people are near the tracks. <\/p>\n
Fayadh said her neighborhood isn\u2019t concerned with a honk or two, but they want to know why horns sound continuously. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe deserve a better quality of life,\u201d Fayadh said. <\/p>\n