The town of Parry Sound is going to take a look at stopping train whistles at public crossings.
Council voted on Tuesday to pursue whistle cessation in 2018.
Train whistles are used to alert cars and pedestrians that a train is approaching a crossing, and are required by law.
According to Director of Public Works Peter Brown there are eight steps to the process of stopping train whistles.
First, the town needs to express interest in whistle cessation. The municipality needs to then consult with the railway companies that use the track in town.
After that the town issues notices about its intent to pass a resolution to stop the whistles.
The town and the railway company then have to determine if the crossings in town meet whistle cessation requirements. Those requirements come from Transport Canada, and look at railway speeds, vehicle use and number of tracks.
If the municipality meets those requirements they’ll have to pass a resolution to stop the train whistles.
The railways companies then have to notify Transport Canada they intend to stop the whistles within 30 days.
Currently, the town is on step one.
Council stressed that its just looking into the process, and nothing would be done soon. Brown said the process won’t be completed until 2019 – if at all.