Readers sound off on Herald’s noisiest-places report
Earsplitting sounds in the city — especially on the MBTA — can be so annoying the police should carry decibel meters to enforce the noise ordinance, said one of the many readers responding to yesterday’s Herald noise-pollution report.
“Why can’t BPD give its officers the type of portable decibel readers that the Herald used?” said one reader.
His idea comes after the Emerson College/Boston Herald Reinventing Journalism class spent the past week recording some of the top earaches in the city.
Sounds such as the screeching wheels at the Green Line’s Boylston Station often hit decibel levels into the 100s, which is considered “too much at any time” under the city’s noise ordinance.
Boston’s Municipal Code, which sets the standard for how much noise is allowed, states that “anything louder than 50 decibels from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. is considered unreasonable.” And, “anything louder than 70 decibels is considered too much at any time, except for permitted construction.”
“The residents of the city have rights to peace that supersede the rights of roaming ‘partiers’ who act like frustrated DJs on Boston streets,” a reader wrote.
Others on social media wanted more reporting.
“Why didn’t they test other spots? The long hallway @state heading to Forrest Hills is at least as bad, I’d venture worse,” one Facebook user wrote.
“We have the same problem in Toronto. It’s flat spots on the wheels,” another said in a comment.
“Part of living in a city. We all have choices,” another said.
The city’s Air Pollution Control Commission oversees healthy air quality and noise levels. If a resident has a noise complaint, the city asks that complaints related to car alarms, loud parties and amplification devices be directed to the Boston Police Party Line or the non-emergency number of the person’s police district.
For noise concerns related to construction sites, industrial sites, ventilation or airconditioning equipment, the website directs people to call the commission during its business hours and the city’s 311 service hotline at any other times. If there are concerns about noise related to airplanes, the city refers residents to contact Massport.