Is "railroad crossing" meant with 踏切 here?


For full context, see here:
<https://www.docdroid.net/XIK9pCk/img-20171020-0001-new.pdf>

The sentence in question, taken from line 9 -11: マンションのドアを開けたり閉めたりする音や
**鳴りっぱなしの踏切** 、しゃべる自動販売機、つけっぱなしのテレビ、駅のアナウンスなどが、初めは本当にうるさくてたまらなかった。

My attempt at translation: "Concerning the first time, it truly was annoying
and unbearable, the opening and closing the condominium sound (=the sound of
opening and closing the condominium) and not-stopping-to-ring railroad
crossings, talking vending machines, non-stop engaged televisions and
announcements of stations (=announcements on stations)."

I just learned about the っぱなし constructions and still struggle a little to
translate them into well readable english. However, my main "issue" lies with
the bold 鳴りっぱなしの踏切. Is my translation of this phrase correct? I've never been
to japan, do the railroad crossings really constantly ring there? Or do they
emit another type of signal, like "blinking"?




鳴りっぱなしの踏切 means "a railway crossing that keeps on ringing" or "a railway
crossing with never-ending ringing sound." See [your own previous
question](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/53711/5010) for the grammar.

Simply, this is an example of exaggerated expressions like
[these](http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-hyperbole-for-
kids.html). Like many other countries in the world, Japanese railroad
crossings ring only when a train is approaching. They also use blinking red
lights. However, a few railway crossings in Japan are almost always closed in
the daytime due to the heavy train traffic. (Known as an 開かずの踏切 problem. See
[this article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Level_crossing#Japan)).

Even the most crowded 踏切 in Japan opens for at least a few minutes per hour,
and in this period it does not ring. So technically speaking, saying 鳴りっぱなし
without saying ほぼ ("almost") is incorrect. But 鳴りっぱなしの踏切 totally makes sense
as an exaggerated expression for those who have a basic knowledge of Japanese
踏切. 開かずの踏切 ("unopened 踏切") is also an exaggerated expression because it
sometimes opens.




Yes, it means railway crossing.

When a train approaches, a rhythmic ringing sound like a chime is emitted from
the crossing, and the gates come down automatically. The sound keeps going
until the train has passed and the gates lift. In Japanese, people often
describe the sound as こんこん to mimic the rhythm of the ringing/chiming sound.

By the way, the translation of 鳴りっぱなしの踏切 as "not-stopping-to-ring railroad
crossings" is strange. Better just to say something simple like "the constant
ringing of the railway crossing" or "the non-stop chiming of the railway
crossing bell".

