3 ms·

I live next to a bridge in NYC that carries trains, so I have experience here. The set back from the bridge to my building is about 5-10x as far from my window

I live next to a bridge in NYC that carries trains, so I have experience here. The set back from the bridge to my building is about 5-10x as far from my window as an elevated train line running on an avenue would be. I have new windows, plus a second set of quiet windows installed within the windows. Essentially quadruple pane windows. It makes them unusable for ventilation. Plus I have sound deadening curtains, sound dampeners on walls, etc. Believe me, it is loud. There is no mitigation you can do to make it not noticeable. You can only make it tolerable. The cost to get it to that level is not insignificant.

xvedejas 3y ago
In an ideal world, housing wouldn't be built immediately on major transit lines, but a (walkable) short distance away. Alas, city planners seem dead-set that new construction must _only_ happen within a block of major roads or train lines. There seems to be a lot of urban malpractice that prevents us from making good choices.
- nerdbert 3y ago
  In an ideal world, housing is built directly above transit stations, so people can get on the train without even having to go outdoors, leaving it the most obvious choice for almost all journeys. Look at what they've achieved with this in Hong Kong. Plus the lines and stations basically pay for themselves due to revenues from residential property.
tomjakubowski 3y ago
it seems to me elevated trains are a lot quieter running on concrete structures than on steel, as in NYC and Chicago. It's not apples to apples (light rail + heavy), but from experience the elevated parts of LA's Expo Line are a lot quieter than the Chicago L.
bluGill 3y ago
There is mitigation that can be done for the noise. However it isn't something you can do - the city would have to rebuild the tracks to modern standards.

3 ms·

I live next to a bridge in NYC that carries trains, so I have experience here. The set back from the bridge to my building is about 5-10x as far from my window

by steveBK123 3y ago

xvedejas 3y ago
In an ideal world, housing wouldn't be built immediately on major transit lines, but a (walkable) short distance away. Alas, city planners seem dead-set that new construction must _only_ happen within a block of major roads or train lines. There seems to be a lot of urban malpractice that prevents us from making good choices.
- nerdbert 3y ago
  In an ideal world, housing is built directly above transit stations, so people can get on the train without even having to go outdoors, leaving it the most obvious choice for almost all journeys. Look at what they've achieved with this in Hong Kong. Plus the lines and stations basically pay for themselves due to revenues from residential property.
tomjakubowski 3y ago
it seems to me elevated trains are a lot quieter running on concrete structures than on steel, as in NYC and Chicago. It's not apples to apples (light rail + heavy), but from experience the elevated parts of LA's Expo Line are a lot quieter than the Chicago L.
bluGill 3y ago
There is mitigation that can be done for the noise. However it isn't something you can do - the city would have to rebuild the tracks to modern standards.