Loud train whistles in San José traffic might be a good thing, says Sala IV

Costa Rica’s Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court, or Sala IV, rejected an appeal Monday filed by a citizen who hoped to ban the loud noise of local train whistles.

Anyone who has driven in San José’s Greater Metropolitan Area, where train tracks merge with vehicular traffic – often without signage and safety gates – will likely praise the ruling.

The plaintiff alleged that the noise affects the health of those who work and live in the surrounding areas of a suburb east of San José. Let there be no doubt – the trains’ blasts are sometimes deafening.

But Sala IV justices said the issue already has been discussed on several occasions, and they previously concluded that the noise does not exceed the limit established by law #2006-16628, which regulates a citizen’s right to peace.

Justices ruled that the sound produced by a train’s whistle is a part of social life, and residents are required to deal with it.

In addition, the loud sound of a whistle is intended to prevent accidents that can result in material and human loss, the court stated. Ya think?