CLAMPDOWN ON NOISY EXHAUSTS
Anti-biking backlash
Loud pipes and their effect on the public’s perception of motorbikes is an issue that’s been brewing for decades, but the combination of a lockdown, empty roads and an early summer has brought it screaming back into the political limelight. And the issue has started to appear in the mainstream media, too. An article from The Times on July 8 says, “it’s time the decibels were reduced” and brands motorcycles as “unnecessarily loud”. Nowhere is the tension more palpable than North Yorkshire, where a local outcry has led the Crime Commissioner, Julia Mulligan, to issue a statement on the topic.
“I am aware of the impact that loud motorcycles have for communities across North Yorkshire and, as people return to the county, this has been a particular problem raised with me,” she said.
“From loud noise from motorcycles, to speeding through our rural communities… I know police officers are determined to address these issues.”
The noise level of motorbikes has also been an underlying theme in other public matters and decisions taken across the UK. Back in April, an Oxfordshire County Council document referred to bikes making a “substantial contribution to noise pollution”, while in Brighton Cllr Jamie Lloyd referred to “the deafening roar of motorbikes” in a council meeting about the fate of Madeira Drive. MCN has been deluged with feedback from riders and residents in recent weeks on the negative impact of loud pipes and riders speeding through villages. Nick Broomhall of the Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA) is well aware of the damage illegal exhausts can do to the reputation of bikers. “Unfortunately, for many government officials, the word