Spanton pointed out that in early 2020, residents submitted a petition requesting that the MTA address the excessive noise levels coming from the curved, guarded sections of the track.
“And despite the MTA engineering and operations teams investigating the area and confirming the excessive noise that the residents were experiencing, there has been no relief for those in the community,” she said.
“We asked the MTA — in the form of a joint letter — to continue exploring all avenues for noise mitigation efforts, particularly the exploration of decreasing the speeds of trains moving across these curved tracks to five miles per hour (from approximately 20).”
This solution was previously and temporarily implemented many years ago to reduce train noise during music concerts in the area, according to Brook-Krasny, who represents District 46, encompassing Sheepshead Bay, Gerritsen Beach, Georgetown and parts of Marine Park.
“We are talking about thousands of people and their quality of life,” Brook-Krasny said, adding that he is hoping the reduction to five miles per hour is just the beginning. “Ultimately, we hope that there will be some other mitigation processes that the MTA will put in place here to reduce the noise, such as acoustic enclosures.”
Manny Galitskiy, president of the board of directors of nearby Luna Park, said that the noise is having a negative impact on his health.
“The additional noise is not helpful,” Galitskiy said. “Of course, the hope is to reduce the speed which will reduce the noise. But if that is not an option, surely something must be done.”
Michael Silverman, president of the board of Warbasse Houses, explained that during the day with ambient noise outside the sounds from the train aren’t as bad.
“But at night when it’s quiet you really hear it — and I’m a distance away from that curve,” he said.
While MTA officials did not…
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