Readers Favor Enforcing Noise Ordinances
Response to the poll last week was very low. Here is the question and final results:
Q: The City of Alton IL is issuing tickets to drivers of noisy motorcycles & cars. Thoughts?
- Good, more jurisdictions should enforce noise ordinances 36 [58.06%]
- The noise is annoying but these laws are not enforceable 13 [20.97%]
- Unsure/no opinion 6 [9.68%]
- Bad, more government meddling 4 [6.45%]
- Other answer… 3 [4.84%]
Other answers were:
- i am sure I don’t care.
- I think the law will be enforced more on the appearance of the driver/rider.
- Motorcycles are often times ubnoxiously loud. Regulate them.
Any additional thoughts you might have add them to the comments below.
– Steve Patterson
I think enforcing the noise ordinance would be turned into an issue of race with people claiming that it is focused on the African American community rather than on behavior. At least it seems to me that this is how most issues end in St. Louis. Most recently problems on Washington Ave.
The real problem is not race, but age. Not many African Americans ride Harleys with straight pipes, especially in places like Alton.
If you're 18 and get a ticket for a loud vehicle, you'll probably think/know that you actually broke the law and just pay the ticket. If you're 38 or 48 and believe that “loud pipes save lives” and/or are enjoying reliving your misspent youth on the weekends, you're more likely to find a lawyer and fight this travesty of justice.
The reality is that this too shall pass, as the Harley riders grow older and younger generations embrace other forms of transpertainment, like crotch rockets, scooters or minivans with multiple DVD screens . . .
I missed the original post about this. I think noise in the daytime is usually alright (lawn mowers, weed whackers, loud cars, trucks and motorcycles), but that doofus who insists on driving his super-loud BMX motorcycle around the neighborhood after midnight, waking everyone and their babies and dogs, he needs to get a ticket.
I found this article as I sit here, being forced to listen to a live band at some bar several streets away from here. It is 11:15 pm, well past the 10 PM noise ordinance supposedly in place. It is grating on my nerves, and I have to get up at 7 in the morning.
The person who thinks noise is a race issue must be a black person who thinks every problem in their life is because of their skin color, rather than considering that they might be a rude person. Rude comes in ALL skin colors.
I am COMPLETELY FOR noise ordinances. Unreasonable levels of noise create not only public safety issues (you can't tell me the driver of the car or truck with a trunk full of woofers can hear an approaching ambulance – no way), but is generally anti-social behavior. Yep – there is going to be daily general life noise, but when 10 pm hits, it's time to wrap it up. People work all kinds of shift work, and sleep at different times. They probably have the worst of it all. But right now, for example, I've had to endure this live band all evening. It isn't the weekend when they also have live music, so must be something “special” going on. However, we still have to get up in the morning and go to school and work. It makes my head throb.
I don't want to hear anyone else's booming car stereos that rattle my windows (congrats on spending your rent money on the speakers – we are all impressed. Now shut up!). If I want to know your taste in music, I'll ask you. You don't want to listen to mine, and I don't want to hear yours either. I definitely don't want to hear this band any longer, but they probably have a special permit for some event. Either that, or the police or ignoring the ordinance times. Here's a news flash – no one else cares about your loud cell phone convos either. yeah, yeah, you have a phone. Congrats. Now go in the house to talk!
We also hear the motorcycles ripping by late at night. Okay, so that's your transportation, and you need to get somewhere or come home. Granted, but you don't need to sit there and race your engine, or race your buddies, and just drive up and down the neighborhood streets to show off who-knows-what.
The laws are in place for a reason. I realize police have other priorities, but it sure would be nice to see some enforcement of these noise ordinances – the ones that are already in place. They are completely enforceable. You can't tell me some police don't hear these cars going by that rattle the windows hundreds of feet away! Ticket them! They are a public nuisance, as well as a safety issue due to their inability to hear other horns, sirens, etc etc.
Noise is just one more stress factor to daily life. The unnecessary noise levels created by the inconsiderate jerks CAN and SHOULD be dealt with for the health & safety of the entire community. It is time someone said ENOUGH to the rude jerks. You can't throw a napkin out the window while driving, but you can impede the hearing of two blocks of vehicles? I don't think that's right.