Comment EI-4994
Received or sent (printed as 2/9/2008)
I am vehemently opposed to the proposed purchase of EJ&E by Canadian National. The increase in rail traffic coupled with CN's alarming safety record presents a hazard to our community especially our children. There are several railroad crossings in town that several school buses must cross every day. Additionally, the rails run very close to Lake Zurich High School and May Whitney Elementary School. There are several athletic fields in town that help serve the needs of our soccer and baseball/softball leagues that are very near to rail tracks as well not to mention our fine library. An accident with a train carrying hazardous materials would be a horrific disaster. Canadian National has amassed a frightening safety record. I urge to review their safety record and ask yourself whether our children (let alone our citizens) would be safe. I must also mention the noise these trains produce is quite loud as I have coaching on these fields when the trains go by. It's quite disrupting. I can't imagine what it would be like if train traffic were increased. Additionally, our village has recently undergone a significant reconstruction of our downtown. With the increase of train traffic, this will cause frequent blockages of auto and pedestrian traffic. It will effectively keep everyone away from our downtown area and cause additional safety concerns. Many of our local businesses suffered greatly during the reconstruction project. Turning our town into an effective shipyard could be the straw that breaks the camel's back in terms of whether they can continue. Please treat this situation seriously. This purchase will have a major negative impact on the safety and economy of our village. In 2007, Lake Zurich was voted as one of the best places to live in America. Canadian National's pending purchase could ruin the high quality of life we currently enjoy.
Submitted by: Steve Hilton · Lake Zurich, IL
The Board publishes this comment in its environmental-comment table for this proceeding. It is quoted here as printed; nothing is inferred from it, and it states the commenter's own position in their own words, not this record's.
Permanent address docketyard.org/d/FD-35087/comment/EI-4994 · back to the docket sheet