Proposed NYC sound ordinance

[cactusjack]

"Borrowed" from another forum...

Bikers won't like sound of this!

BY FRANK LOMBARDI
NYC DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Thursday, December 11th 2008, 2:18 AM

Vroooom that noisy motorcycle once too often and the city could own it.

In a new bid to stem motorcycle noise, the City Council is set to pass a bill requiring all bikes to sport tags certifying approval by the Environmental Protection Agency.

No EPA tag, you get a ticket, without the officials having to prove the bike exceeded the 80-decibel limit set by the city's noise code.

"Today we go a long way toward taking the squeal out of the hogs," said Peter Vallone (D-Queens), chairing a final bill hearing Wednesday in the Public Safety Committee.

Under the bill, expected to pass the full Council Dec. 18, a first conviction carries a maximum $1,000 fine and temporary confiscation until the penalty is paid.

A second conviction hikes the maximum fine to $2,500 and imposes permanent forfeiture.

NYPD Lt. Daniel Albano testified that existing laws require cops to catch noisy motorcyclists in the act, which is difficult and can entail potentially hazardous chases.

The new measure would let single officers on foot patrol - or other city agents - ticket parked motorcycles, he said.

It gives police "an extra tool to get at what is truly a serious problem," said Councilman Alan Gerson (D-Manhattan), who crafted the bill based on a law in use in Denver.

But biker Bill Ferraro, president of the Union Ironworkers Motorcycle Club, Local 580, testified that "it's unsafe for us to ride when the pipes are too low."

He also said the city can't close its budget gap "with confiscation of bikes and seizure."
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I don't like that this law singles out motorcycles. Make it all exhaust systems or leave it alone. A Honda Civic with a 6" fart can is as loud as any Harley with Screaming Eagles on it. While they're at it, they should include those awful car audio systems with 6 15" subs pumping 1000 watts of bass you can hear coming a mile away.

That Peter Vallone guy quoted in the article needs to be slapped upside the head. His wife probably ran off with a biker and this is how he exacts his revenge on bikers as a whole.