Police plan to crack down on bike noise

Motorcyclists face strict bylaw enforcement

Police officers trained on motorcycle noise enforcement were too busy dealing with fatal and serious injury collisions to crack down on loud pipes in 2015.

But they plan to come on strong with enforcement with no amnesty period when the rubber hits the road in 2016.

Insp. Dennis Storey said after five years of the bylaw, bikers should know better. “If you put modified pipes on your motorbike, the likelihood is you’re going to exceed the noise,” Storey told the Edmonton Police Commission on Thursday.

From 2010-14, noise violations, including motorcycle noise violations, were up.

When commissioner Laurie Hawn asked if the drop in 2015 was due to less enforcement or people getting the message, Storey said without demerits, people treat the fines as a “fun tax.”

The fine for the first offence is $250, for the second $500 and for the third, a compulsory court appearance.

“People need to be held accountable,” Storey said.

Storey said traffic services branch members were more involved in dealing with the city’s 35 traffic fatalities, but says with Chief Rod Knecht’s move to decentralize traffic members and put them back in neighbourhoods, there will be more time for a crackdown.

Coun. Scott McKeen first campaigned on the issue as a columnist for the Edmonton Journal, helping to get the city’s noise limits for motorbikes passed in 2010. He’s now on council and says the issue still needs attention, both for motorbikes and noisy mufflers on other vehicles.

“The city police are way ahead of other cities in that they have a unit that is trained on the specific technology that is credible in the courts,” said McKeen.

But it’s not enough to stage noise checkstops or roving patrols, he said. If Edmonton really wants to crack down on the small segment of riders that are causing the most problems, any police officer needs to be able to take action when they hear a racket.

“One person driving a noisy truck or car or on a noisy motorcycle can disrupt the lives of thousands and thousands of people on one ride through Oliver,” he said. “There are 19,000 people living in Oliver. They’re asleep. Their evening can be disrupted and meanwhile we’re trying to create this vibrant downtown with patio restaurants.”