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.

[nomad561]

Has the EPA come up with a program to tag bikes?
How are you supposed to get a tag without this?
What about people that come in from out of state?
This sounds like another attempt from another pissed off "I don't like bikers" politician to get his 15 minutes of fame.
As far as cutiing down on high speed chases,if they are already running because of a ticket,what do you think they will do facing confiscation?

[dank]

I agree it should be all vehicles, if any. In northern Michigan there are a lot of pickup trucks that are as loud as the bikes. My preference would be no regulation and bikers and others to switch to acting responsibly in this regard.

But I also have to say bikers as a group have brought this on themselves. It is simple stupidity to think they can ignore the growing resentment of the loud exhaust systems and corporately flaunt their supposed right to make excessive noise and not expect the rest of society to respond by enforcing their reasonable right to not have that excessive noise imposed on them. I believe this is the "your right to swing your fist stops at the end of my nose" concept being enforced. I'm sure Honda Civics would be included if there were swarms of them running around with open pipes.

[dantama]

Denver was the first to come up with this ordinance. I haven't heard of any fallout from bikes actually being ticketed yet, and I still hear obnoxiously loud bikes going by my place.

[dank]

Originally Posted by Dan Lund

Denver was the first to come up with this ordinance. I haven't heard of any fallout from bikes actually being ticketed yet, and I still hear obnoxiously loud bikes going by my place.

Dan, how do you get the sticker so you comply with the ordinance? Are stock pipes set to go or do you have to go have them measured for decibels?

[rickyboy]

I also agree that if you go after the bikes, you go after the "Civic's" and such with the huge exhausts and that have those "woofers" just pounding. Here where I am there seems to be a big revival of the "muscle cars". They contribute big time to the noise levels. Not to mention commercial trucks that use the "jake brake" inside residential neighborhoods. We don't have anything like they're imposing in NYC. I'm sure there are limit's, but no enforcement, ...unless you're being pulled over for something else you've done. I've seen a couple of articles in "mags" that lean towards Harley's, that say it's stupid to push the envelope with loud pipes. And if it continues those with the obnoxious loud pipes are going to screw all their brethren on two wheels.

[dhomoney]

I guess so much for the land of the free. What a nation of ninnies we have become. This law, and any support for any type of law against any and all vehicles is just lame and shows just how pathetic we have become. I would laugh at the National Anthem when the aforementioned line is sung, if I wasn't to busy crying at the loss. Our founders would just be sickened by what we have turned into. We, generally speaking, are pathetic.

[dantama]

Originally Posted by dank

Dan, how do you get the sticker so you comply with the ordinance? Are stock pipes set to go or do you have to go have them measured for decibels?

Your stock pipes have a stamp that is stamped into the metal with an EPA verbage.

The after market ones don't have the EPA stamp. The law is already on the books everywhere that emission/exhaust systems can't be tampered with. That is why you see the "for offroad use only" type disclaimers when such is advertised.

But there isn't much teeth to the law. To enforce it, laws on the local level get enacted to "catch" offenders. On cars there is often a Sate of county inspection for license plates that checks for such things.

Bike have been getting a free ride compared to the enforcement on cars (most car inspections are for the EPA items from the catalytic converters to the engine, hence the coffee cans on the far end getting through).

Now some municipalities are deciding not to give bikes a free ride compared to cars. I understand some peoples feeling about a loss of freedom, but it's the same thing that you have been dealing with on your car for years. There is no place the I've lived in that would allow cars newer than the 70's to run a straight exhaust from the engine to the back. Now some cities are enforcing on bikes what has been the law all along; just a law that wasn't enforced.

[phenrichs]

We have a similar law here in SD. It has more to do with modified exhaust. Basically states you cannot have modified mufflers. So my intended bafflectomy = illegal exhaust. I have a buddy with straight pipes on his harley. They are not modified. But if a cop has balls enough to shove his night stick up there and see no baffles they could give him a ticket. Although the court would dismiss it because that is how they came out of the box.

[rksaw]

Originally Posted by dhomoney

I guess so much for the land of the free. What a nation of ninnies we have become. ... Our founders would just be sickened by what we have turned into. We, generally speaking, are pathetic.

I cannot agree with you more. We are getting soft and are due for some hard times in the future.

[nomad]

the guys wife probably ran off with a biker........:)

[Top Cat]

Loud pipes <s>save lives </s>turn non motorcycle people against all motorcycles.

[dhomoney]

And so the thing to do TC is put a law against them since we don't like it. That mentality is one of the many reasons I left NY.

[glwilson]

No offense; but I travel to Manhattan often; and I, personally, would rather the "loud-pipe" law be inforced in NYC.

Given the echo against the tunnels of tall buildings lining the streets it is entirely obnoxious; obtrusive; offensive; unecessary; and just plain deafening.

Sorry if I pissed someone off with my feelings; but try to walk down the streets of NYC with a loud-bike screaming by you and I'll bet you'll agree with me.

[dhomoney]

glwilson,

I have, I don't like it anyhow, but I sure as sh*t will not advocate a law against it. Just because something is annoying, offensive, and distasteful to you or me, doesn't mean a law should be made against it. Freedom is defending things you don't like to ensure your rights aren't infringed upon. Pastor Martin Niemoller said it best.....

When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I was not a Jew.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.