When I made the decision to live in Columbia, I chose it because it’s a city that isn’t too big or small.

I’ve been a student and resident for almost three years, and I can easily say that the worst part of this city are the trains. Whenever I try to sleep or watch a movie, I get interrupted by a train.

I live in an apartment between two train tracks and it’s the noisiest place I’ve ever lived. I hear ambulances and fire trucks constantly, but that’s nothing compared to listening to a train horn for a minute straight at two in the morning.

A twitter account called @ColaQuietZones has been pushing for the city to adopt quiet zone laws, which would prevent trains from blaring their horns in the city.

The worst part about this is the city doesn’t seem to care about the trains.

I went to a city meeting a couple years ago. They planned on talking about quiet zone laws.

They ended up trashing that and talking about a couple minor housing projects.

Ever since, I haven’t heard a single thing about quiet zone laws. Even cities like Charleston, Greenville and Aiken have quiet zone laws. I can’t think of a single resident who would be opposed to it.

Not only do these trains create health issues with their noise, they also create travel issues.

I usually get stuck at a train crossing once or twice a week. I got stuck once for 45 minutes because a train was blocking the road.

These trains are easily the most annoying things I’ve dealt with.

Columbia’s population continues to decline while more people move to the upstate or the coast.

I’m sure it’s more peaceful there where you won’t hear a train horn every hour.

Until Columbia adopts quiet zone laws, the city will continue to deter tourists and potential residents.