GuelphToday received the following letter to the editor from reader Donna Jennison on the issue of excessive noise.
Back in the good old days, the sounds we were exposed to were nothing like what we hear today.
It used to be that sleeping city folk were disturbed by the natural sounds of roosters crowing, crickets chirping, horses moving quietly in their stalls or the wind blowing through the trees.
These days, it's stunt drivers, modified mufflers, and the white noise of background traffic and local industry.
The World Health Organization reports that excessive noise is on the rise, that it doubles or triples every 30 years, and is one of the top environmental hazards to both physical and mental health and well-being.
Excessive noise interferes with people’s daily activities across the board. It can disturb sleep, cause cardiovascular and psycho-physiological effects, reduce performance and provoke anger, irritability and hostility.
A 2013 academic study produced by the European Heart Journal shows how sustained noise, especially during night time, can increase mental health issues for both children and adults. Noise pollution is creating a public health crisis.
Perhaps one of the most striking developments has been the sharp increase in the excessive noise of stunt driving, revving of motorbikes, extreme car engines, and altered mufflers. We've all heard them as they travel for miles down our city streets day and night, disturbing everyone in their wake.
These antisocial drivers, or “boy racers” as they call them in the UK, use loud exhaust pipes and modifications to intentionally make noise and disturb the peace.
Noisy vehicles are regulated by both city noise bylaws and by the province's Highway Traffic Act 75(1) which states: every motor vehicle or motor assisted bicycle shall be equipped with a muffler in good working order and in constant operation to prevent excessive or unusual noise and excessive smoke, and no person shall use a muffler cut-out, straight exhaust, gutted muffler, Hollywood muffler, by-pass or similar device upon a motor vehicle or assisted bicycled.
Some cities have decided to take action. In 2020 Peel, Halton, Burlington and Barrie police all launched “Project Noisemaker” to target loud and unsafe vehicles and aggressive driving. The city of Toronto calls it an epidemic and set up a dedicated noise team of 24 officers.
London, Barrie and Simcoe have all cracked down on modified vehicles and laid charges on offenders.
In Guelph there's been no concerted campaigns or crackdowns on this issue despite numerous calls and complaints to councillors and the police over the last 10 years. Even with the laudable but limited efforts of other cities, residents continue to desperately seek solutions as authorities seem to have little interest in enforcing noise and stunt driving laws.
What to do in the face of “the cruel absence of care”? And how do we explain the lack of response from Guelph police who, despite purchasing a decibel monitoring meter back in 2011, routinely provide numerous reasons for not using the equipment or enforcing provincial and city bylaws?
Enter noise cameras! This new technology includes microphones calibrated to start recording at a certain noise level. The microphones then trigger a nearby CCTV camera that snaps an image of the offending vehicle, whose owner is subsequently ticketed and fined under the provincial or municipal noise bylaw.
Noise cameras are being piloted in numerous cities around the world including Hamilton, Toronto, Calgary, New York City, Taipei, France, Norfolk, Bristol and beyond.
There is a growing body of evidence that demonstrates this technology can support public health policy, by-pass the police, pave the way for safer, quieter, peaceful streets across the city, provide a small revenue stream, as well as stimulate further research into the health effects of different types of noise.
City bylaws are up for review soon. Now is the time to ask your ward councillor to direct city staff to study and report back on this emerging technology and the opportunities for testing and implementing automated noise enforcement here in Guelph.
Here's some good questions to get the ball rolling:
- How many cities are exploring the use of noise radar or noise cameras?
- What different types of technology are available?
- How successful have the prototypes been?
- What is the cost associated with an installation?
- What is the potential public health benefit to the city?
- What is the potential financial benefit to the city?
Let's get cracking, Guelph, and help restore some quiet, peace of mind and improved collective well-being in our city.
Contact your councillor about noisy vehicles and noise cameras today.
Donna Jennison
