Paul Feltz has lived near train tracks in DeKalb nearly all his life.

It took some getting used to, but over time, common train noises like whistles didn’t phase Feltz anymore.

“When you have been living here as long as I have, you learn to ignore it,” Feltz said.

Though citizens like Feltz don’t notice the whistles much, DeKalb is considering making the trains adhere to a no whistle rule when traveling through town.

The city is requesting the rule after receiving numerous calls complaining of the noise trains make when passing intersections, said Ralph Tompkins, DeKalb’s public works director.

Tompkins said currently the city is researching the requirements of the proposed quiet zone and talking to Union Pacific and the Federal Railroad Administration.

Despite the complaints, Feltz said the no whistle rule won’t change anything and would like to see other aspects of the railroads remedied first.

“The vibrations from the trains have become an issue more than the noise,” Feltz said. “I would rather see the trains slow down, especially at night.”

Feltz added that the no whistle rule potentially could cause more accidents.

While Feltz remains indifferent to the no whistle rule, other track-side residents say it is unnecessary.

“I work for the school bus system in Cortland, so I know the gates don’t come down when they should,” said Dawn Woodbury, a 13-year track-side resident. “You really need the whistle to go with the train.”

Cortland has had a quiet zone through the town since June 2000.

“If you live in the Cortland or DeKalb area, you know why we had this put into effect,” said Susan Dockus, Cortland treasurer and member of the board that enacted the quiet zone.

As part of the ordinance, median barriers, to keep people from crossing the tracks, were required to be in place and law enforcement measures were increased.

In 1997, Union Pacific decided the quiet zone was too much of a liability and did not honor it.

“When the whistles came back, the people were not happy,” Dockus said. “It was very disrupting to everyone.”

Although trains will have to remain silent under the ordinance, there will be circumstances where the horns will be necessary, including emergencies when pedestrians may be in danger or when the weather causes low visibility.