DEAR EDITOR:
I have been trying to follow the recent coverage over the last few months regarding train noise in New West. I am not a journalist as your last respondent in the Oct. 7 edition (Trains, noise and condiminiums, Letter to the Editor) but I'd wager heavily that this well-versed individual does not live anywhere near the New West Quay. Unless you are affected by the severity of this noise pollution you would not understand why the anti-noise group is so passionate about their plight.
When it has affected your sleep for years (as in waking up nightly numerous times), it is akin to the torture techniques reserved for terrorist-led interrogation.
Try carrying on your day constantly in a state of heavy fog, souped up on Starbucks in an attempt to keep both eyelids open. In short, it is a health issue.
Whether driving, functioning at work or trying to deal with everyday demands it is a simple fact that the human need for sleep is a fundamental one. This is what I and thousands of others deal with on a daily basis.
I am actually shocked that it has gone on this long and that it has gotten worse. I am surprised that this matter has not been corrected with a heavier hand.
From what I understand, the anti-noise group simply wants a moratorium on the noise during sleeping hours.
Even if it was from midnight to 5 a.m., why are we having to beg for this to happen?
Why are they able to solve this problem in other municipalities in the Lower Mainland with similar circumstances? How is this case so different?
Yes it's true that people should be aware of the train yard when they move into a neighbourhood, but the noise has grown to a greater pitch than ever since the development started.
Affordable housing (or any housing for that matter) is at a premium anywhere in the Lower Mainland.
To suggest that it is easy to simply "avoid" the noise by choosing to live somewhere else is just plain ignorant.
Did I mention that our residence is actually more than two miles away from the Quay on the other side of Queen's Park? It's time to get creative and all work with the residents of the Quay and the surrounding area.
Matt Dunn, New Westminster
