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The MBTA has been doing overnight construction on the platform in Central Square for some time now. Even being right in Central Square, most of the noise has been like a distant drone, and like the sound of the trains themselves, I have been able to sleep through it. It’s sort of like the ocean.
I understand that they do the construction overnight in order to keep the trains running during the day. I agree with that. My neighbors who commute by train are probably glad for it. But…
…sometime around 6am this Saturday morning the peaceful ocean-like construction sound transformed into something like a jack-hammer. and I’ve been up since. It’s echoing off the buildings downtown, probably keeping lots of others awake. It continues as I’m posting.
I’m pretty certain that there’s a local noise violation, here. I’m not so sure that the Lynn Police or City Hall are the places to turn to, though. We’re talking about the MBTA. They either are or think they are above our little laws. But, we shouldn’t just take it!
If you’re in DTL and you’ve had your weekend rest/recovery ruined by the MBTA, please contact Rep’s Robert Fennel and Steven Walsh. They’re good guys and willing to listen. If the MBTA has a way to complain about these things, we should do that to. I’m going to look into that right now.
Something as loud as this jack-hammer-sounding-thing should not be operated when most of us are sleeping!! They should have at least waited until 9am!
November 22nd, 2008 at 8:33 am I live along the Amtrak line in Dedham, at the south edge of the Hyde Park switching yards. When the trains come by, the foundation of the house rattles. They switch trains at 3:00 AM. They put up Bright As The Sun lights 3-4 house lots away from me and work all night for weeks on end. Here’s the take-home message. Get used to it. Don’t be The Princess and the Pea. If you lived a few blocks away, you’d be bitching that they worked on the platform during rush hour, and why didn’t they do that at night. I worked second shift for 7 years, and I had to listen to jack hammers at 10:00 AM so that you wouldn’t loose any beauty sleep. Just learn to deal with a temporary inconvenience without going nuclear and calling politicians. You are not at the center of the universe. Mommy may love her special angel best, but you are just another one of us.
November 22nd, 2008 at 9:35 am I’m not complaining about the trains in general. I love that they’re there. In fact, it would be really silly of me to have moved here deliberately and then complain about the glaringly obvious. The trains don’t bother me. The day to day operation of the commuter rail stop doesn’t bother me. In fact, the building doesn’t even shake! (Thank you, solid 1890 construction) A jackhammer at 6am on a Saturday, on the other hand…let’s just hope it was a one-time ordeal.
November 22nd, 2008 at 11:12 pm I work the third shift. Should I complain when they run jackhammers mid afternoon? Also, I’m off Wednesday and Thursday; is increased outrage warranted when they wake me Thursday afternoons?
November 23rd, 2008 at 5:22 am I have to say I’m a little surprised at the anger in response to my post. To answer jk, I once worked various shifts, during my later college years and for a while after. When I had to leave my apartment 3am on a Saturday to prepare for a Sunday AM radio talk show (I wasn’t the host), I never expected the world to stop for me when I got home and finally slept. I don’t think I have that expectation now, either. But what I do know is that cities and towns across the Commonwealth have noise ordinances that favor the 9am - to 5pm set. Typically, these ordinances restrict noise from about 11pm until 7am or so. They prevent jack hammering at 6am, which you apparently think is ok to do, even though that is when the majority of the population is still asleep.
November 23rd, 2008 at 5:26 am Stop complaining. The world doesn’t run on a 9 to 5 schedule just because you do. I live right in the Square and work varied shifts. I don’t expect the world to stop for me just because I have a day off. So stop being a baby and Grow up!
November 23rd, 2008 at 5:30 am To lynnres : Ouch
November 24th, 2008 at 9:23 am I think there’s a difference between “expecting the world to stop” and expecting the normal course of business. I sleep in downtown Lynn several weekends a month. There is noise from the idling Dunkin’ Donuts trucks at 3 AM; there are noisy speeding cars-especially after a big game win-at whatever time of night they finish the game; there are crazy people shouting over who-knows what…and the trains coming and going can get pretty loud, especially when they just sit there on the track sometimes. All these things, though annoying, are part of city life that we knew would occur when choosing to move downtown. I don’t think Seth is saying he has a problem living in the city and living with its accompanying sounds or noises. SUSTAINED JACKHAMMERING FOR HOURS going on outside the place you sleep, however, is not the same as regular annoying city noise. For those of you who CHOSE to work various shifts, when you CHOSE the odd shift, you CHOSE to deal with the misalignment with the rest of the 9-to-5ers. There’s no choice for downtown Lynn residents if that kind of noise is imposed on them outside of noise regulation hours. It’s like, you choose the fire but you don’t choose to get burned. Either way, name-calling is very mature (not) and I would guess that somewhere along the way, your own frustration with city noise made you bitter. Who knew this would be just the outlet for your over-tired reader-rage?
November 24th, 2008 at 11:15 am I guess I’ll post my 2 cents. When I moved to New York City, I had trouble sleeping. The noise on the street outside my dorm window was something I wasn’t used to. I had to accept it. Lynn is a noisy place. I have to accept that. I don’t live downtown, but I live at a busy instersection. However, there are people around me and up close who just love to have raucous house parties that go on into the dawn. I find it reasonable to complain about this. If the noise bugs you, you have every right to complain. There are reasonable and unreasonable expectations. Your complaint about the jackhammering seems reasonable to me.
November 24th, 2008 at 1:13 pm Noise in your home makes or breaks you. If you cannot find peace in your home the rest of your life suffers. Jackhammer would annoy me. If it was a one time incident I would let it go but it it continues there are noise ordinances. Will anyone do anything about it is the issue? I feel your man though….. I have lived in a 2 family for a while and was on the first floor and have had my share of lead footers, subwoofers and parties above me. None of the tenants were trying to be noisy. Each tenant had a new noise that would bother me. The final straw was when a very quiet man lived above us started getting angry at my child for walking around on weekends. So the shoe was on the other foot–we were the perceived loud people. Upon his leaving I realized that living in a shared dwelling was no longer for me…so now I live in a 2 family as a single…(oddly enough I have seen this done quite a bit) I would have it no other way plus its cool to have 2 kitchens. I think the older you get the less noise you want to hear. I used to sleep with a stoned bongo drummer outside my door in college… LOL
November 27th, 2008 at 6:46 pm There is a noise ordinance. You can get a copy of it at the city hall in the clerks office. Be persitent they hate giving anything out. As for geting something done. Forget about it. jackhammers would probably come under a ‘necessary nuisance’, meaning it’s a short term deal, and the city would have to deal with the state. they won’t. You may call the MBTA and see how long the process may linger. The ordinance says that it’s the polices job to enforce, but they would rather not unless it’s soemthing like a loud party. as far as a business, it’s whatever goes for the city, unless they dislike you then see you later.