‘Anxiety, anger inducing sound’: East Vancouver man says SkyTrain screeching hitting new levels

When Paul Shoebridge moved to a house near the Commercial-Broadway SkyTrain station 20 years ago, he expected there’d be some noise.

He knew it would always be part of the soundtrack to his life around 14th and Commercial Drive, but in recent years, Shoebridge says the screeching has become intolerable, rising to levels he’s never experienced before.

“So when I’m gardening outside, I’ll wear noise-cancelling headphones, which is not super great either, where you’re not in touch with your environment,” Shoebridge told CityNews in an interview. “People will be talking to me and I’ve forgotten I’ve got my noise-cancelling headphones on. When I go for a walk with the dog I’ve got my noise-cancelling headphones.”

East Vancouver resident Paul Shoebridge, wearing noise-cancelling headphones, stares at the SkyTrain line near his Commercial Drive neighbourhood home. He says noise from the line has become unbearable. (Submitted)

In a bid to get a sense of just how loud the noise has become, Shoebridge downloaded an app. He acknowledges his phone is not as sophisticated as specialist hardware but it has given him a sense of what he’s dealing with.

“We did casual measurements,” Shoebridge said. “I was out there the other day with my little basic app, and it said it was over 100 decibels when I was holding it up there. So, that’s loud.”

TransLink has released reports over the years, with a 2018 noise assessment summary identifying 75 decibels as a “passerby noise goal.”

The situation is clearly causing distress and he has spoken with neighbours and TransLink about his concerns.

“You see people all the time putting their hands to their ears — that kind of sound is psychologically aggressive, right? And people don’t like to be around loud noises, especially that kind of persistent, torturous sound,” Shoebridge said.

“It’s kind of an anxiety, anger-inducing sound. Especially if you’re trying to do something else, right? Where you’re trying to have a conversation, or make a phone call, and I used to have phone calls all the time outside in our back yard. I’d be sitting out there having a coffee and talking on the phone, but I don’t do that anymore.”

Shoebridge insists he loves SkyTrain, but says as the region pushes for densification around rapid transit lines, ensuring sound is kept at reasonable levels must be a priority.

In a statement, TransLink says it regularly monitors the SkyTrain system for noise, adding, “[w]e are awaiting the delivery of new rail grinders which help to mitigate SkyTrain noise.”

“We prioritize grinding according to inspections and assessments of the running rails on the system, focusing on critical areas and hot spots first.”

While TransLink didn’t specifically address a timeline for this work in its statement to CityNews, Shoebridge says he’s been told grinding work to reduce the noise could be done by late spring.

He adds the transit authority suggested to him that pandemic-related supply chain issues have contributed to the delay in TransLink getting a hold of grinding equipment