NEW HAMPSHIRE - House Motorcycle Noise Bill Deemed Too Strict...

OFF THE WIRE
More than 200 people voiced objection to a local rep's bill.
A motorcycle noise bill similar to a recent North Hampton ordinance that generated a lawsuit was amended in Concord this week after more than 200 motorcycle club members and supporters packed a hearing to voice opposition to the bill's "impractical" and overly-harsh limits, according to a Nashua Telegraph report.
House Bill 1442 was proposed by state Rep. Michele Peckham, R-North Hampton, and sought to place a 82-decibel limit on a motorcycle's exhaust while it is idling, among other things.
That limit is identical to the North Hampton ordinance that passed at the 2010 town meeting. North Hampton's ordinance was eventually deemed unenforcable and overturned in court after a local group sued the town. The state's limit is 104 decibels.
The Telegraph reported that House Transportation Committee Chairman Sherman Packard, R-Londonderry, proposed amending the HB 1442 cap to 92 decibels, which gained overwhelming support from those who attended the Concord hearing on Tuesday. The Telegraph reported that Packard proposed the state also adopt a noise standard "that could be tested by police at the scene" and wouldn't require the motorcycle owner to "leave their bike" or take it "to an inspection station" after the test.
North Hampton Police Chief Brian Page, who has been a big proponent of drafting a noise bill that can be safely enforced by officers, couldn't be reached for comment this week.
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