Some folks think that removing the silencers on their motorcycles is something cool – but all it does is create a grating noise that is painful on the ears, while disturbing the general peace all around. Soon, hybercharged engines that blast their way through the night might be able to be caught, not on camera, but via the Noise Snare – a sonic equivalent of the photo radar. Canada’s Calgary bylaw officers have proposed the use of this device (making them the first to do so in that country), where the Noise Snare is capable of capturing a video image, audio recording and decibel level.
The city’s hotline received 1,310 vehicle complaints in 2010, but the bylaw requires complainants to testify to the impact of extreme noise. This makes the Noise Snare the best tool for the job, since it has hard evidence that cannot be argued or refuted in the court of law. The idea from the Noise Snare came about by someone who was so disturbed by all the noisy vehicles around him, that he decided to do something about it and build the Noise Snare himself. Since Calgary might just be his first customer, Nesdoly decided to offer the city one $112,500 device and training for free.
What do you think? Should vehicle noise levels be regulated, or should it just be considered to be part and parcel of life? After all, that might just make up for the ‘character’ of a particular neighborhood…
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