San Clemente: Update On The Pedestrian Audible Warning System (PAWS)

Press release from the City of San Clemente:

January 14, 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

UPDATE ON PEDESTRIAN AUDIBLE WARNING SYSTEM

1/13/2021…San Clemente, California… The City is in process with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) of renewing the 2015 waiver for the Pedestrian Audible Warning System (PAWS) that is used to avoid routine sounding of train horns through San Clemente. Prior to December 15, 2020, the City complied with all documentary and systemic requirements set forth by the FRA conditions of approval. The final step in the process before submitting the City’s waiver renewal to the FRA Safety Board was a physical inspection.

An inspection was started on December 15, 2020, but unforeseen technical issues arose with the sound decibel meter, which resulted in inadequate sound level readings. There were no issues with the PAWS itself. Staff expeditiously resolved the issue with the meter and notified FRA on December 21, 2020 that the City was ready for immediate re-inspection. Due to the holidays, the earliest the FRA could conduct a re-inspection was late January 2021. The City planned to have the FRA re-consider the City’s waiver request at the January 2021 Safety Board meeting, but, given the late re-inspection date, the next opportunity for consideration may be the FRA’s next scheduled Safety Board meeting.

The City of San Clemente knows the importance of this waiver for the residents who reside in close proximity to the railroad. Staff is engaging an experienced FRA consultant to assist the City in facilitating the waiver approval as soon as possible. The Interim City Manager Erik Sund said, “First and foremost, I want to apologize to the residents impacted by this issue. The City is committed to maintaining a safe environment at every crossing, but I know that while the City works to resolve this waiver issue, it is negatively impacting homeowners. This issue is beyond an inconvenience for the residents and again I want to apologize for that. I want to assure them that this has and will continue to be a City priority until we regain the waiver status. I recognize the severity of the situation and will personally oversee all efforts to resolve this matter as soon as possible.”

1-13-21 PAWS Press Release

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This press release was produced by the City of San Clemente. The views expressed here are the author’s own.