Noisy Vehicles Update (March 2023)
At last month’s City Council meeting we approved an increase in fines to excessive vehicle noise. This bylaw applies to all vehicles, not just motorcycles. The fine for excessive noise is now $1,000.
Leading up to the discussion at council, there were some questions that came in regarding how our bylaw officers would handle situations such as where someone’s muffler needs to be repaired versus someone who is clearly going out of their way to create excessive noise around residential areas. The response from our City Administration was that our bylaw officers will be using discretion to ensure that we aren’t penalizing someone who might be saving up to repair their vehicle. That is an important distinction because while excessive noise is a serious issue in parts of the ward, we don’t want to be fining people who are trying to be respectful but just in a tough financial situation.
This issue has been ongoing for many years. For example, when I visit the Lewis Estates Retirement Centre in Lewis Estates, residents would often discuss noisy vehicles going by their building on Webber Greens Drive between 12am - 5am. Understandably, that was a significant issue for residents to have a peaceful sleep.
Similarly, when the ward boundary changes took effect after the 2021 election, the communities of McQueen, North Glenora, Glenora, and Grovenor came into the ward boundaries. While door-knocking in those communities, one of the most common complaints was regarding excessive noise from vehicles along Groat Road and 107th Avenue. For some residents, this issue has been going on for decades and they felt there hasn’t been a satisfactory solution.
Whether a larger fine alone will solve the problem is still to be determined but I believe it’s an important step to address a very small percentage of people who are choosing not to be considerate of their neighbours. We will revisit this bylaw in the future to determine if it is helping to address the problem or if a greater number of enforcement officers are needed to ensure we are properly holding those inconsiderate people accountable for their actions.
