SAN MARCO QUIET ZONE

The Florida East Coast track is part of the history of San Marco, and people who either live in the neighborhood or frequent the shopping district are accustomed to the blasts of the horns of passing trains. Train engineers are required by federal regulation to blow the horn four times at least 15 seconds before a crossing. The sound of a train horn ranges between 96 and 110 decibels.

 

San Marco has eight train crossings: Prudential Drive, San Marco Boulevard, Nira Street, Hendricks Avenue, Atlantic Boulevard, River Oaks Road, St. Augustine Road and Emerson Street. That means every train that passes through San Marco blows its whistle 32 times. According to federal data, between 24 and 32 trains travel through San Marco every day. So, on a busy day, San Marco residents and patrons can hear around 1,000 blasts of a train horn. 

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The noise pollution from the train whistles interrupts sleep, affects health and reduces real estate values.

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There is a solution — a quiet zone.

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