Burlington wants to clamp down on noisy cars, motorcycles

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Published March 1, 2022 at 12:19 pm

The City of Burlington wants to bring some peace and quiet to local residents.

According to a staff report, moving vehicle noise is a growing concern for residents of Burlington, evidenced by repeated complaints received by members of council and the mayor in recent years, as well as similar complaints received by the Halton Regional Police Service.

With more residents working from home due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, City staff believes it is even more important for people to enjoy a reasonable amount of peace and quiet in their homes and neighbourhoods.

A 2020-2021 Halton police initiative called “Project Noisemaker” initiative is a recent effort to try to combat excessive noise. Police found unnecessary noise is often accompanied by other illegal vehicle modifications, unsafe vehicle conditions and aggressive driving behaviours.

During the course of the 2020 Project Noisemaker campaign in Halton, more than 1,400 charges were laid region-wide, including 574 charges for no/improper muffler and 396 charges for unnecessary noise.

Halton Regional Police Service has reached out to the City for a new noise-related bylaw, along with related signage, to provide them with an additional tool in their efforts to combat this problem.

Police can then enforce such a bylaw to mitigate excessive vehicular noise. This is an important part of the effort, as Halton police can enforce municipal bylaws, but bylaw officials can’t pull over moving vehicles.

Police suggested any such noise bylaw should include motor vehicles, a reference to unnecessary/excessive noise or breach of the peace that includes a decibel limit, and making the owner liable for the fine.

The issued was supported strongly at a City committee meeting and is expected to be implemented soon.

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