Editor, The News:
Re: Put mufflers back on loud vehicles.
Thanks to Darrell Swanson for his letter on loud vehicles. The noisy vehicle issue, not limited to motorcycles, is one I am affected by daily.
I moved to Maple Ridge earlier this year to a property on a busy corner. I accepted that traffic noise would be part of my life. Surprise, the most intrusive noise I am exposed to is not at rush hour, it is evenings and weekends. Some evenings, it is every few minutes. The city website posts a vague noise bylaw passed in 1994. I can find no updates about what measurable level of noise is considered excessive. The movie industry is expected to work to an agreed set of standards on location.
As the corridor around the two main arteries becomes more dense with people and vehicles, the city needs to step up in its obligation to plan for a reasonable, livable community. Residents of the present and future complexes are subjected to strata and rental bylaws about noise levels and times for quiet. It seems, though, that we can be bombarded from the streets with impunity.
In the last five years, I have lived near busy intersections in two Lower Mainland cities. I have not endured such a level of noise before.
Jean Todd
Maple Ridge