September 1, 2018
Noise Free America: A Coalition to Promote Quiet
For immediate release
Contact:
Ted Rueter
[email protected]
877-664-7366
Chapel Hill: The city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada has won a “Quiet Hero” award from Noise Free America: A Coalition to Promote Quiet for installing photo radar-style noise control technology, in an effort to quiet down the city. By the summer of 2019, the city hopes to “have a system that is to noise what photo radar is to speed.” Instead of speed traps, Edmonton will create “sound traps.”
Councilman Scott McKeen, a leader in the fight against excessive noise in Edmonton, stated that the intent of the program is to record noise levels of automobile, trucks, and motorcycles as they pass by; those with excessive noise levels would receive a ticket in the mail.
“I don’t think Henry and Martha will be upset,” said Councilman McKeen. “But Henry and Martha’s son who’s modified his pick-up trucks, his car, or his motorcycle to make it really loud, he won’t like that kind of enforcement and frankly, I’m not that worried about him.”
Another member of the Edmonton city council, Bob Henderson, has been frustrated for years with the city’s failed attempts to curb noise pollution: “It’s allowing a few idiots to drive people out of the core of the city, where we’re trying to encourage people to move,” Henderson said. “It’s coming from a few people, who think that for whatever reason, showing off their vehicle at 3 o’clock in the morning is more important than people’s sleep.”
Kim Clegg, a member of the Queen Alexandra community league, also complained about drivers modifying their mufflers and blasting away late at night: “You’re lying there at night, awake, listening to some jerk go around the neighborhood with his 110 decibels, and thinking, ‘Why does this guy have the right to destroy all of our sleep just to show off?’”
Ted Rueter, director of Noise Free America: A Coalition to Promote Quiet, commented that “Edmonton city government deserves great praise for taking strong action against excessive noise. Noise is a quality of life issue and a public health issue. Residents have the right to a calm and peaceful environment. I wish more cities throughout North America would follow Edmonton’s lead.”
Noise Free America: A Coalition to Promote Quiet is a national citizens’ organization devoted to noise reduction. Past winners of the Quiet Hero award include Portsmouth, New Hampshire; the Miami Beach police department; and the Kewaunee county, Wisconsin sheriff’s department.