Tailpipe assaults on summer’s tranquility

Viewpoint: Halifax Chronicle-Herald The serene scenes and sounds of summer bring peace and tranquillity to most of us. Bees buzzing around flowers, birds chirping from treetops and the sounds and sights of children gleefully at play.

But the serenity can be painfully punctured by the blare of unmuffled cars and motorcycles. From Barrington to Berwick, Barrington Street to Bedford Highway, everyone can relate to this audio assault of summer. In Vancouver, the growing din has been enough to inspire police interest.

The Canadian Press reported earlier this month that Vancouver police were warning motorists of a new blitz directed at excessively loud motorcycles and cars during the summer months. The campaign’s intent is to “cut down on unnecessarily loud motorcycle and car exhaust that can disturb the peace, enjoyment and quality of life of residents and tourists.”

Police have issued drivers a warning that unnecessary noise from a vehicle’s engine, tires, brakes, or exhaust may result in a violation ticket worth $109, plus three driver penalty points.

Anyone who has tried to take a peaceful walk on a summer night, only to have the crack of an amped-up engine shatter any serenity, will sympathize.

The New Brunswick city of Bathurst brought in a bylaw in 2011 that puts a limit on the noise motorcycles are allowed to make. A motorcycle that makes more than 92 decibels of noise earns a $125 fine.

Two summers ago, Calgary police picked up a new tool to measure the noise level delivered by vehicles.

“Vehicles make a lot of noise, whether it’s a truck, car, or motorcycle,” Calgary Police Sgt. Dean Vegso told a local radio station at the time. “But what we’re looking at are those that make an excessive noise, that are going out of their way to cause problems.”

Halifax has its own noise bylaw, N-200, respecting noise. It says no person shall engage in any activity “that unreasonably disturbs or tends to disturb the peace or tranquility of a neighbourhood.”

One could reasonably surmise the audio assault delivered by road-noise warriors would fit that description. Summer is far too short to have its serenity sapped and blown away by antisocial tailpipes.