LETTERS: Wailing sirens on empty streets cause needless noise pollution

One of the great things about living in Port Washington is the fact that our lakeside climate makes it possible to avoid the use of air conditioners most of the summer. We really enjoy sleeping with bedroom windows open to let in fresh air at night.

But at 2:30 on a recent morning we were just about blown out of bed by a police car siren that you could hear all the way across town as it made its way out to wherever it was heading. This is ludicrous.

There is no traffic at 2:30 a.m. that warrants running a siren like that. The blinding lights on the squad cars should be more than adequate to get any vehicles that are on the road out of the way. And if someone doesn’t pull over, by all means hit the siren to get their attention—and it may be time to get another squad out there to see if they’re impaired.

We have a valuable service in our EMTs/paramedics and they are often called out late at night to handle emergencies—but the same goes for them. The residents of Port should not have to live with this unnecessary noise (and yes, it’s time to consider a satellite facility for EMTs near the edge of the city, since many calls take them to neighboring communities).

Finally, we have gated signals at all our railroad grade crossings in the city, yet trains passing through Port Washington sound their horns at all hours. It seems like one or two of the engineers really like to lay on the horn much more than the mandated time period. I like trains as much as anybody, but this is also unnecessary noise. We should be able to apply for a quiet zone, where trains sound horns only when necessary for safety reasons.

I call on the Police and Fire Commission and Mayor Becker to move forward on this proposal. Noise pollution is a real thing, and it causes a lot of stress. Let’s work to reduce the unnecessary noise in our great city.

Tom Hudson
Port Washington