Patrick Hayes: Tell us where the loud motorbikes are.
April 29th, 2008 at 02:25pm Chuck Sweeny
Just heard from Pat Hayes, Rockford’s legal director. Yes, loud motorcycles or loud vehicles of any kind are covered by both a city noise ordinance and a state law. Hayes concedes that
“motorcycles are more difficult to catch, but if our citizens have complaints about consistent activity, we’ll try to get people out there to interdict that. “
Sometimes the bikes have been altered so they make too much noise on purpose. Often, though, the bikes are street legal and make excessive noise when riders perform jackrabbit starts off the light.
Folks, the place for drag racing is the Byron Dragway. Not East State, not Perryville, not Riverside.
Here’s the city ordinance covering loud vehicles:
Sec. 17-3. Vehicular noise generally.
(a)Â No person shall sound any horn or audible signal device of any motor vehicle of any kind while not in motion, nor shall such horn or signal be sounded under any circumstances except as required by law, nor shall it be sounded for any unnecessary or unreasonable period of time.
(b)Â A person shall not operate a motor vehicle which is equipped with a muffler or exhaust system or sound muffling device which has been altered or changed to allow noise in violation of these regulations.
(c)Â A person shall not sell, transfer, install, or cause to be installed upon a motor vehicle a muffler or exhaust system or sound-muffling device, or a part, thereof, which will allow noise in violation of these regulations.
(d)Â No person shall operate, sell, or offer for sale any motor vehicle subject to registration that will, at any time or under any condition of grade, load, acceleration or deceleration, operate in such manner as to exceed the following noise limit based on a distance of not less than fifty (50) feet from a center line of travel for the category of motor vehicle indicated:
Any motor vehicle with a manufacturers GVW rating of 8,000 pounds or more, and any combination of vehicles towed by such motor vehicle:
35 MPH or less . . . 86dB (A)
Over 35 MPH . . . 90dB (A)
Any motorcycle:
35 MPH or less . . . 82dB (A)
Over 35 MPH . . . 86dB (A)
Any other motor vehicle and any combination of motor vehicles towed by such motor vehicle:
35 MPH or less . . . 76dB (A)
Over 35 MPH . . . 82dB (A)
(Ord. No. 1974-67-0, 4-15-74)
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Entry Filed under: Uncategorized
11 Comments Add your own
1. equalityrkfd= | April 29th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
I can’t believe he is asking where they are, just drive down any street!
Are they going to impound the motorbikes?
2. hokumboy | April 29th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
Wouldn’t (a) mean that those idiotic car alarms could be cause for a ticket?
A Boy can dream!
3. AaronH | April 29th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
Nothing new here. Rockford is more worried about noises and kids skipping school and smokeing, then crime and jobs. Way to go
Mayor!
4. Burn | April 29th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
Way to focus on the problems. I’m not going to pretend that certain bikes aren’t irritatingly loud. And if you wish to ticket them, do so. But let’s pass some other laws and enforce them, too. Talking too loud, yelling, diesel trucks, semis, cell phone usage, talking and/or eating in theaters- the list is endless. Or, you could remember that you happen to LIVE IN THE CITY. You’re not entitled to listening to nothing but crickets. Get real, and work on the major issues.
5. Pat Cunningham | April 29th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
Chuck: Don’t let Aaron and Burn deter you. Noise is a quality-of-life issue. As I said in a comment on your previous post regarding this issue, State Street in front of Rockford College is one of the town’s main drags for boom cars. I would also note that the same strip gets more than its share of loud cycles. The cops should bust those creeps. The noisemakers have a right to be stupid, but they don’t have a right to disturb the sleep and relaxation of us civilized folks.
6. Paul | April 29th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Aaron and Burn are right on. Call the police and when they arrive the offending vehicle is long gone. Case closed. As ome would like the police to sit in their neighborhood for hours waiting for the vehicle to return and than complain because they are not out catching drug dealers and murderers. If the officers happens to observe/hear an offending vehicle he could write a ticket. Then he would later appear in court and be questioned about how far away he was from the offending vehicle along with other questions, i.e., . Did you physically measure the distance between you and the vehicle when you first heard it? At what speed was the vehicle traveling at the time of the violation? Did you have your decibel meter with you at the time? When was the last time your decibel meter was calibrated? Do you have the factory recertification papers to indicate the date of calibration? What professional training have you had to enforce noise ordinances? The questions go on and on and it will eventually be dismissed. Total waste of time. But make the call anyway and Patrick Hayes and the Mayor will “get their people out there to interdict the problem”.
Give me a break. The laws are written to be totally unenforceable and Patrick Hayes knows that. Used to be we could just call the police department. Now we have to check with the mayor and city legal because they are running the police department and it appears the chief is not allowed to speak to the public or the press. No wonder things are screwed up in Rockford.
7. hokumboy | April 29th, 2008 at 8:36 pm
It seems our mayor is more concerned with the sounds of car stereos and motorcycles than he is with the sounds of gunfire.
8. Chuck Sweeny | April 29th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
The mayor didn’t initiate my post about loud motorbikes. I DID. The high-pitched whne of motorcycles revving their engines sounds like chain saws clearcutting the northwest forest.
9. hokumboy | April 30th, 2008 at 8:14 am
OK then,
YOU seem more concerned with the sounds of car stereos and motorcycles than with the sounds of gunfire.
10. equalityrkfd= | April 30th, 2008 at 10:04 am
Or you could do what the mayor does and listen to your IPod with your earphones on…
11. Chuck Sweeny | May 4th, 2008 at 12:39 am
Oh sure, I’m concerned more about the sounds of car stereos and motorcycles than I am with the sounds of gunfire.
Give me a break.
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