550 replies to this topic

[Mike K.]

Oak Bay Police now have a decibel meter for ticketing motorists with loud exhausts.

[sebberry]

Aren't they all old and deaf anyway? 

 

These roadside dB checks need to stop.  AFAIK, there's no standards for conducting the test outside of an inspection facility, no 'approved' roadside devices and in many cases cars with factory equipped exhausts are exceeding the limits.  This is often little more than a harassment tool that see people being forced to take their vehicles for inspection unnecessarily.  

[Mike K.]

I’m totally ok with this harassment tool, if that’s what it’s deemed to be by some.

Noise pollution needs to be addressed as much as any other form of pollution and I think we all know that there is no exact/precise science on the side of the road.

[Spy Black]

The Motor Vehicle Act Regulations allow for police officers to be completely subjective in their application of vehicle noise laws and by-laws.

There is no db meter required in order to ticket a person for vehicle loudness.

 

There is still a strict maximum "A" weighted measurement of 84db for exhaust noise, but that measurement exists completely separately from a police officer subjectively ticketing you for vehicle loudness ... ANY vehicle loudness (exhaust included).

 

A db meter is only required if the police officer who pulled you over feels (for some reason) that you should be ticketed under the specific subsection of the MVAR that makes specific note of your vehicle emitting exhaust noise in excess of 84db ... but that same police officer has multiple options beyond the 84db limit for which they can cite you, all based on the nebulous language in the MVAR that says simply that: "No person shall start, drive, turn or stop any motor vehicle, or accelerate the vehicle engine while the vehicle is stationary, in a manner which causes any loud and unnecessary noise in or from the engine, exhaust system or the braking system, or from the contact of the tires with the roadway."

[Mike K.]

Yup. In Vancouver they don’t use decibel meters as a standard practice.

[laconic]

The City of Victoria noise bylaw uses decibel ratings for during the day. At night the bylaw only says that the noise needs to disturb the peace. I was told by a COV bylaw officer that they don't enforce the nighttime portion of the bylaw since the subjective aspect makes convictions much more difficult.

[mbjj]

I’m totally ok with this harassment tool, if that’s what it’s deemed to be by some.

Noise pollution needs to be addressed as much as any other form of pollution and I think we all know that there is no exact/precise science on the side of the road.

Where we live in Fairfield, I can truthfully say that just about every week day of the year, twelve months, I can hear a leafblower. All the apartments use them (they like to blow dust in the parking lot), every divided-up house uses them. I hate the darn things. The one that is used next to us, I have to close the window to hear my own tv or have a conversation. I wish they were banned except for "collecting" leaves October through January. I also wonder how much damage these guys are doing to their lungs. We constantly  have to hose off our cars and front of our house from all the dust that one particular guy creates, yet no protective mask.

 

Just saw your post about night noise. We currently have neighbours who play extremely loud music at all hours. One night it began at 12 am and went until 6. We've called the police but don't think anyone came. We can't even sleep in our own bedroom. esp. with a window open. I had to sleep on the couch and listen to boom boom boom all night.

Edited by mbjj, 22 July 2020 - 08:16 AM.

[sebberry]

I’m totally ok with this harassment tool, if that’s what it’s deemed to be by some.

Noise pollution needs to be addressed as much as any other form of pollution and I think we all know that there is no exact/precise science on the side of the road.

 

I'm far more irritated by my neighbors showering at 1AM or cranking up their music at dinner time than I am with the occasional Harley zipping by in the middle of the day.

[Mike K.]

Yes, different strokes for different folks. But your neighbour is only impacting a few people. Harley guy is impacting tens of thousands.

[Victoria Watcher]

I'm far more irritated by my neighbors showering at 1AM

 

bc cdc says we have to shower right before and right after sex each time.  no rolling over and going to sleep.  get used to it. 

 

my next door neighbour has been quite considerate about the glory hole renovations though.  most of the drilling takes place mid-day.  

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 22 July 2020 - 08:44 AM.

[Spy Black]

Leafblowers, like chainsaws, are exempt from any noise by-law in most of the CRD as long as they're used during the day.

 

The City of Victoria itself is broken up into four different "sound zones", with different noise levels permitted in each zone, and at different times of the day or night.

What may be a violation of the noise by-law in Fairfield, may indeed be perfectly OK downtown or around the Inner Harbour ... even if it's happening at 3:00am.

 

Based on personal experience, I'd say the by-law officer who noted in the above post that they "don't enforce the by-law at night" is somewhat of an overstatement. The COV regularly enforces the noise by-law at night, although they obviously enforce it differently for each of the four COV "noise zones".

A single phone call with a noise complaint to the VicPD may not be a metric that results in immediate action - but 4 or 5 identical noise complaints will always result in action. Note too that by-laws aren't always intended to result in any sort of "conviction", rather they serve to give COV by-law officers and VIcPD tools with which to achieve compliance without the need to any sort of legal action being taken ... as simple as saying to the violator of the by-law that "you're in violation of the XXXXX COV by-law, please stop what you're doing to avoid further legal action".

Edited by Spy Black, 22 July 2020 - 08:43 AM.

[sebberry]

Yes, different strokes for different folks. But your neighbour is only impacting a few people. Harley guy is impacting tens of thousands.

 

Tens of thousands?  I don't know about that.  And while I usually curse when Harley guy rips past, it's just for a few seconds and it's rarely at night.  

[Mike K.]

Of course. He’s within earshot of 100 people with every second of travel. And he’s just one guy. There’s also the guys with four bangers and absurd mufflers, trucks with removed exhausts altogether, etc. It’s an awful nuisance.

[exc911ence]

I live adjacent to the Pat Bay Highway.... Harley guy seems to rip past every 5 minutes or so all day and evening long. He and his buddy with the diesel monster-truck with the open stack exhaust.

 

Hate those two guys.

[todd]

Aren't they all old and deaf anyway? 

 

These roadside dB checks need to stop.  AFAIK, there's no standards for conducting the test outside of an inspection facility, no 'approved' roadside devices and in many cases cars with factory equipped exhausts are exceeding the limits.  This is often little more than a harassment tool that see people being forced to take their vehicles for inspection unnecessarily.  

even if it's reading twice the limit?

[todd]

I'm far more irritated by my neighbors showering at 1AM or cranking up their music at dinner time than I am with the occasional Harley zipping by in the middle of the day.

I like the sound of engines more than a lot of things.

High pitch screaming is probably about the worst some kids do it, think we are probably programmed to respond to it but the kids today cry wolf all the time.

Edited by todd, 22 July 2020 - 11:52 AM.

[todd]

I don’t like to criticize children in a recreational activity but a basketball hoop sounds like a beating heart.

Soccer?

Edited by todd, 22 July 2020 - 12:13 PM.

[Love the rock]

Was just at Root Cellar but this new practice of washing down the carts with diluted  bleach in a bucket  is  a bad idea . They wash down the cart as you go in .Not ringing out her rag the cart is dripping with bleach . No sign stating they are  using bleach .The  Only thing giving it away was the strong smell of bleach . I’m trying to keep it off my clothes   .Five minutes later  my cart is still dripping had to ask for paper towel . A  mother before me couldn’t put the small child in the cart for fear it would ruin her clothes. I know bleach is cheaper than sanitizer I’m disappointed in Root Cellar for taking the cheap way out . 

[todd]

Might just be the strength of swimming pool water. Still smelly but apparently acceptable for you and others to bathe in and fully neutralize what others leave behind...

[Love the rock]

Might just be the strength of swimming pool water. Still smelly but apparently acceptable for you and others to bathe in and fully neutralize what others leave behind...

I doubt it was diluted that much it smelled like I took the lid of a bleach bottle.