Writer can’t keep quiet about loud vehicles

Editor:

I read with interest the OPP Monitoring Noise in Dufferin in your July 15 publication and the first question that popped into my mind is, why a community would have to ask the police services to enforce noise laws?

It has become impossible to ignore the increasing volume of traffic in our county as well and I can only assume the situation is ubiquitous.

It has gotten so bad on weekends that I have opted to do all my power equipment work on Saturdays and Sundays and have a quiet day off during the week.

Those who are not retired don’t have that option and, unless they’re marching in the Clown Parade themselves, they have to listen to a cacophony of motorcycles, tuner cars and pick-up trucks with “tuned exhaust” speeding by.

Don’t get me wrong, I used to be a clown in that parade in my youth. If anybody had asked, I would have happily been the Grand Marshal.

I had a noisy enduro motorcycle as my first motorized vehicle then a couple of sporty cars.

I do remember the police pulling me over on numerous occasions and actually being fined for not fixing a perforated muffler after a previous written warning. I was genuinely annoyed, and yet I guessed that my impressive sounding exhaust was probably not everyone’s cup of tea, especially in residential neighbourhoods.

So what happened to enforcement? Are we under-policed and there just aren’t enough resources to pull over offending noisemakers and write out tickets?

What happened to our collective conscientiousness in Canada?

Here’s one for you: my son observed a particularly noisy rider pull up and upon removing his helmet he then removed his foam ear plugs. What snapped that anyone thinks the removal of baffles from their mufflers is going to save their lives?

I’ve heard this countless times, “If they don’t see us they will at least hear us.”

If this were the mission then turn the exhaust pipes around and have them facing forwards in the direction of travel.

My suggestion is to rethink the black theme in favour of the hi-visibility theme. You can’t hear me coming on my electric motorcycle (No, not a scooter), but you can definitely see me. Ride safe out there.

Murray Lackie,

Creemore.