Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Deeper study needed of All Aboard’s Palm Beach County impact | www.mypalmbeachpost.com

From the front page of the Palm Beach Post comes this article which shows the proximity of the FEC railroad right-of-way to lower income and minority neighbors. Check out the map which accompanies the article. All Aboard Florida says that they are studying these conditions. Click title for link.
But the Federal Railroad Administration said All Aboard Florida must do a higher-level analysis to meet federal environmental justice requirements that seek to limit damage to neighborhoods that are disproportionately minority, poor or elderly.
All Aboard Florida has committed to paying for wayside horns, but some elected officials say noise isn’t the only concern. Traffic congestion and speeding trains could also cause problems in communities near the tracks, especially in Palm Beach County, which has 64 percent of the crossings in the tri-county area and more large neighborhoods in “severe impact” zones.
Looking at the map, you can see the poverty level of the neighborhoods in Lake Worth that hug the eastern tracks.