Proposal:Level crossing train horn usage
| The Feature Page for the approved proposal Crossing Whistle Usage is located at Key:crossing:whistle |
| Level crossing train horn usage | |
|---|---|
| Proposal status: | Approved (active) |
| Proposed by: | UrbanUnPlanner |
| Tagging: | crossing:whistle=* |
| Applies to: | node |
| Definition: | Do trains blow their horns at this crossing? |
| Statistics: |
|
| Draft started: | 2022-01-29 |
| RFC start: | 2023-03-18 |
| Vote start: | 2023-06-15 |
| Vote end: | 2023-06-30 |
Proposal
The crossing:whistle=* tag is placed on railway=level_crossing and railway=crossing nodes to denote that the crossing is subject to non-standard train horn operations, whether it be trains blowing their horns at a specific crossing in countries where the railroad operating rules do not generally require horn usage, or trains not blowing their horns at a specific crossing in countries where railroad rules otherwise require horn usage at crossings.
Rationale
In European practice, trains are only required to blow their horns at level crossings that do not have warning devices (lights, bells, gates), or simply at selected level crossings, marked by track-side signs (called "whistle boards" in the UK). However, in North America, the opposite is true: trains are required to blow their horns at all level crossings in the US and Canada, save for those specially designated by rail authorities (Federal Railroad Administration, Transport Canada) as part of a "quiet zone" or under a "whistle ban".
The choice of crossing:whistle=* is a synthesis and codification of existing tagging practice for the North American situation ("quiet zones", "whistle bans", and wayside horns), with adaptations to allow it to represent British/European practice. It was chosen over quietzone=yes because that tag name implies that it should be placed on an area (which is incorrect) and also does not account for European practice at all, nor does it handle the case where the horn-blowing is handled by a wayside horn device, not by the train. The use of whistle in the tag instead of horn was chosen to synchronize with the terminology used in the railway:signal=* tagging scheme, as the signage is still called a "whistle board" even in modern US practice which favors the term "horn".
The value schema uses optional instead of the seemingly more obvious no because in North American practice, a locomotive crew may still blow the horn if necessary to warn a crossing user who hasn't caught on to the fact there's a train bearing down on them, or to signal their presence to a railroad work gang. This tag can be used by road routers to warn road users that train horns are unlikely to be present at a crossing, or by rail users who need information about horn practice at a specific crossing.
Furthermore, it is consistent with the other tags in the crossing namespace that are used on level crossings to elaborate their warning and guarding means, such as crossing:barrier=*, and the simpler crossing:saltire=*, crossing:light=*, and crossing:bell=*.
Tagging
| Tag | Description | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| crossing:whistle=yes | A crossing where trains must blow their horn, in a country where railroad rules do not generally require horn usage. This value is the default in the US, Canada, or other countries where trains are required to blow their horns at all crossings not specially designated otherwise. It may also be used if there is a non-quietzone crossing within what otherwise would be quietzone limits, in order to emphasize that the horn shall be blown here and normally nowhere else. | |
| crossing:whistle=optional | A crossing where trains are not required to blow their horn, in a country where railroad rules do require horn usage at crossings. This value is the default in countries, such as the UK, where trains are not required to blow their horn at level crossings by law. In the US, the presence of a quiet zone is generally marked at the crossing by one or more W10-9(P) "NO TRAIN HORN" signs, and is also required by law to be stated in the public (FRA) records for that level crossing.
Partial quiet zones (where trains blow their horns during the day, but not at night, for instance) are tagged as a crossing:whistle:conditional=* using the standard conditional restrictions syntax. |
|
| crossing:whistle=wayside | A crossing where a wayside horn is present and functional, blowing the horn for the train crew when the crossing is activated. This can be according to the combination of public records stating its presence and aerial or street-level imagery that shows such a system present at the crossing, or observation of the wayside horn sounding when a train passes through the crossing. |
Examples
Whistle board in Essex, in England where it is the exception
crossing:whistle=yes at the next level crossing
Level crossing in a partial quiet zone in San Jose, California
crossing:whistle=yes
crossing:whistle:conditional=optional @ (22:00-07:00)
.jpg)
_San_Gabriel_Sub_crossing_at_Rialto_Avenue.jpg)
Features/Pages affected
- railway=level_crossing
- railway=crossing
- MUTCD/W#W10: Rail and Light Rail
- OpenRailwayMap/Tagging#Level crossings or OpenRailwayMap/Tagging in North America
External discussions
- https://community.openstreetmap.org/t/rfc-feature-proposal-level-crossing-train-horn-usage-quiet-zones-whistle-bans/97053
- https://lists.openstreetmap.org/pipermail/tagging/2023-March/067118.html
Comments
Please comment on the discussion page.
Voting
Voting on this proposal has been closed.
It was approved with 16 votes for and 1 vote against.
I approve this proposal. --UrbanUnPlanner (talk) 11:45, 15 June 2023 (UTC)- I approve this proposal. --clay_c (talk) 14:23, 15 June 2023 (UTC)
- I approve this proposal. --Skquinn (talk) 14:49, 15 June 2023 (UTC)
- I approve this proposal. --Jmarchon (talk) 15:49, 15 June 2023 (UTC)
- I approve this proposal. – Minh Nguyễn 💬 16:40, 15 June 2023 (UTC)
- I approve this proposal. Something B (talk) 17:15, 15 June 2023 (UTC)
- I approve this proposal. --Gymate (talk) 20:14, 15 June 2023 (UTC)
- I approve this proposal. --Fizzie41 (talk) 21:32, 15 June 2023 (UTC)
- I approve this proposal. —-Dieterdreist (talk) 22:39, 15 June 2023 (UTC)
- I approve this proposal. --Popball (talk) 22:50, 15 June 2023 (UTC)
- I approve this proposal. --SherbetS (talk) 00:18, 16 June 2023 (UTC)
- I approve this proposal. --Penegal (talk) 05:46, 16 June 2023 (UTC)
- I approve this proposal. --Riiga (talk) 06:13, 16 June 2023 (UTC)
I oppose this proposal. No provision for crossing:whistle=no for those areas where the noise is banned. The suggested conditional tagging does not cover the photo example where horns are banned between certain hours. The introduction of crossing:whistle=no would cover it. --Warin61 (talk) 06:41, 16 June 2023 (UTC)
- Quiet zones like the examples above are not necessarily noise bans. Train engineers may still sound the horn in case of immediate danger, even if the crossing is within a quiet zone. This is why crossing:whistle=optional is used instead. clay_c (talk) 13:55, 16 June 2023 (UTC)
- I live within earshot of the pictured sign. Since the sign was posted, I still hear a train horn on occasion when the engineer tries to shoo someone off the tracks, but I no longer hear the horn routinely, as would be the norm at most crossings in the U.S. – Minh Nguyễn 💬 22:17, 16 June 2023 (UTC)
- I approve this proposal. I'm ok with this, but I find the optional a bit odd, as surely an engineer can always use a horn for an immediate danger, and the "allowed if there is a work crew" seems complicated. --gdt
- I approve this proposal. --Adiatmad (talk) 07:29, 22 June 2023 (UTC)
- I approve this proposal. --VileGecko (talk) 12:45, 22 June 2023 (UTC)
- I approve this proposal. --Gscscnd (talk) 07:55, 23 June 2023 (UTC)
