Maine Citizens Against Loud Motorcycles (MECALM) - WTF

OFF THE WIRE
Maine Citizens Against Loud Motorcycles (MECALM)

MECALM thanks Gov. Paul LePage for signing LD 477, allowing bikes cited for
loud pipes to go for decibel meter testing -- a fair & objective test.
Police can now write noise tickets that should stand up in court. Bikers get
a solid defense if a ticket is unfair. Thanks also to the Transportation
Committee for its strong bipartisan stance against loud pipes
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Joseph Rocque Jr
Now it will be interesting to see if they will enforce it, so far , we have
more louder bikes than ever before and I don't see anyone even attempting to
do anything about it. Any law is only as good as the people enforcing it.
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Daryl Souzer
Hopefully they will enforce this. Way too many loud bikes on the road.
Especially irratating in the city!
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Keith Rattleff
MECALM thanks Gov. Le Page? how many times did i adimantly speak not to
unrestricted exhaust noise, but for a fair decibal test? i was shot down
over and over again, being told this was unreasonable to request and that a
simple "no modified exhaust" law was the only answe. now a decibal test is a
great idea and MECALM applauds the desicion?
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Anthony Rizzolo
It's just a beginning.....
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Website:

MAINE LEGISLATURE PASSES & GOVERNOR SIGNS LD 477 TO SEND LOUD BIKES FOR
SOUND METER TESTING

For the third time in two years, the Maine House and Senate have
passed a major piece of bipartisan legislation aimed at curbing the
obnoxious noise created by loud motorcycles. Gov. Paul LePage signed LD 477
into law on May 26, 2011. While drafting the measure members of both
parties on the Transportation Committee expressed disgust and impatience
with the ongoing scourge of loud bikes, one rep likening it to "terrorism."
Several members said they've received more citizen complaints about loud
bikes than any other issue. To underscore the urgency of quick action, the
committee made LD 477 an emergency measure that can take effect immediately
and possibly bring some peace and quiet during the 2011 riding season.

For the first time, LD 477 introduces sound meter testing in Maine
for loud bikes. The current law (LD 1642, passed in 2010) leaves the issue
of whether a bike is too loud up to the discretion of a patrol officer. The
new law gives the ticketed operator the option of going to a certified
inspection station to have the bike's exhaust noise checked by a sound meter
-- a fair and objective test.

Many bikers had expressed outrage at the 2010 law, which defined
what's too loud as exhaust noise that is "noticeably louder than similar
vehicles in the environment" or louder than the sound made by the original
manufacturer's exhaust. Some bikers felt it was unfair to rely on such a
subjective standard, essentially an officer's opinion. Some towns, notably
Waterville, began enforcing that law in 2010 and people in communities
across the state reported some reduction in motorcycle noise last summer as
riders afraid of getting ticketed modified their behavior. Even a biker
with an illegally loud exhaust can greatly reduce the noise created by
riding more carefully and courteously.

LD 477 creates an affirmative defense for bikers. Police can
still issue tickets based on their opinion, relying on their experience and
common sense. But if the accused believes the ticket is unfair or
incorrect, they now have the option of going to an inspection station and
having the bike's noise level tested. If it passes the test, presumably the
courts will dismiss the ticket. Operators of cars and trucks stopped for
loud noise in Maine have had this option for years, and now the same defense
will be extended to motorcycles if LD 477 becomes law.

MECALM believes the new law should give police departments in
Maine confidence that they can write motorcycle noise tickets with greater
confidence they will stand up in court, and that judges can easily
understand the clarity and fairness of decibel tests. It will no longer be
just a question of the officer's opinion. Any biker who feels a noise
citation is unfair can bring the decibel test results into court. If a
biker challenges a ticket in court without having gone for the noise test --
most likely out of fear the muffler would flunk -- a judge is justified in
sustaining the ticket.