Edmonton passes bylaw to crack down on motorcycle noise

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http://www.montrealgazette.com/technology/Edmonton+passes+bylaw+crack+down+motorcycle+noise/3133700/story.html Edmonton passes bylaw to crack down on motorcycle noise

By Richard Warnica, Edmonton Journal June 9, 2010

Under the new rules, bikers will face a $250 fine if caught blaring their vehicles above a certain sound level. Using standards developed by the Society of Automotive Engineers, police will test the bikes for different decibel thresholds when they're idled or operating at various revolutions per minute.

EDMONTON — City council passed a bylaw Wednesday that gives police the tools to crack down on noisy motorcycles, a move that makes Edmonton the first jurisdiction in Canada to adopt such standards.

The vote came after years of study and debate.

Under the new rules, bikers will face a $250 fine if caught blaring their vehicles above a certain sound level. Using standards developed by the Society of Automotive Engineers, police will test the bikes for different decibel thresholds when they're idled or operating at various revolutions per minute.

Police say the bylaw won't be enforced immediately. They plan to run a public education campaign and test their new equipment before handing out tickets, likely starting sometime in July.

"We're going to give the public a good opportunity to come in, test their bike and see where they're at," Acting Sgt. Eric Theuser said.

Theuser and some members of the city administration were peppered with questions by some on council before the bylaw vote.

Coun. Dave Thiele said the measure singled out motorcycle riders. He called the bylaw "discriminatory" and said council would never treat the members of an ethnic group the way they were treating bikers.

Thiele introduced an amendment that would have broadened the bylaw to include all motor vehicles.

The amendment, though, failed after Theuser told council the changes would be unenforceable.

Theuser said it took three years to develop standards and equipment aimed specifically at motorcycles. He expects it will take another five to six years to do the same for cars and trucks.