23 July 2004 Whistle Ban Yields Two Trains of Thought Even with his deep-seeded affinity for everything trains, Dick Sutcliffe says he can still understand why a move is afoot by the District of Maple Ridge to have the use of train whistles banned within municipal boundaries.   "I can sympathize with people who live next to the tracks," said Sutcliffe, president of the Dewdney-Alouette Railway Society which has for over 20 years worked to preserve and interpret rail history in Maple Ridge.   Earlier this week, Maple Ridge rolled out a proposed plan to start the process of gaining a wholesale ban on the use of CP Rail train whistles at all eight controlled crossings. The district says the push for the ban stems from complaints from residents living near the tracks who are irritated by the sounds of train whistles throughout the night.   If the district is successful in convincing the federal Transportation Safety Board that banning whistles won't compromise pedestrian and vehicle safety, the ban would be in place at all hours of the day.   That means council must first agree to hire an independent consultant to perform a detailed safety assessment of each crossing. Early estimates peg the study coasting upwards of $32,000.   Sutcliffe said he feels recent upgrades to Maple Ridge's controlled crossings should be enough to convince the safety board that a train not blowing its whistle, public safety will not be in jeopardy.   "With all of the work that was done (to upgrade controlled crossings) when they set up the West Coast Express, I suspect there's not a big safety concern without whistles," he said.   And even from a historical perspective Sutcliffe didn't appear too nostalgic over the thought of never hearing the sound of a train's whistle again in Maple Ridge.   "I enjoy it," he said, "but to me that's something I can get elsewhere."   Not everyone, however, agrees that upgrades to crossings are enough to avoid serious safety issues with trains.   John Russell, 43, says with the number of families with young children moving into Hammond and other areas near the train tracks, the whistles provide that extra level of protection.   "They're too many people who live down by Hammond with families. It's better to have them than not have them. It's part of life," Russell said in an interview Wednesday.   Russell said he feels that many of the complaints surrounding train whistles come from people new to the area who haven't had time to get used to the sound.   He said he used to live at the south end of 224 Street, so close to the tracks his house shook when trains passed.   "You get used to it," he said.   Council is expected to decide whether or not to move ahead with the needed safety study at its 27 Jul 2004 council meeting.