Let's go make some noise....

[bd43]

So here we are at the center of attention nation wide (Canada) in the motorcycle community where the City of Edmonton passed its motorcycle noise bylaw 15442 which is an amendment to bylaw 14600.

The first city in Canada to invoke such a bylaw restricting noise below certain levels. These being 92dBA at idle, 96dBA at 2000 rpm (less than 3 cylinders, greater than 4), and 100 dBA at 5000 RPM for 3 and 4 cylinder motorcycles.

Any non-compliance leads to a $250 fine. I thought I read somewhere but could not find it again, repeat offenders could face a charge up to $10,000.

Don't get me wrong, I'm neither for or against this bylaw, nor am I trying to debate this issue. What I am peeved about is the tax dollars the city invested into this bylaw to enforce it. After it's all said and done, 8 noise meter kits were purchase, public awareness and education program set up for the tune of $24,000 and $15,000 respectively. Moreover, at least 8 police cruisers out looking for violators. For the sake of a few anti-noise complainers, and I would derive from that, anti-motorcycle activists, the city's knee jerk reaction was to appease these people by implementing this bylaw. As ridiculous as this sounds to begin with, the bylaw did not include other noisy motor vehicle sources which are on the road almost 12 months a year where the motorcyclist are only 5 months at best. Is this discriminatory? It looks that way, but again, this doesn't jive my turkey.

This is what irks me, for goodness sakes people, if you're going to implement a bylaw, at least do it correctly! :banghead: The bylaw states that it's test procedure is based on the SAE J2825. Similar to the SAE J1287 I posted on here just the other year, the procedure is straight forward. If the procedure is not done correctly, the sound reading can vary which could be the difference between getting a ticket or not. Let's just say that in these photos taken by the local media of our finest conducting the test, is incorrect.

Should it be within the rights of the perceived offender to know what the procedure is and that is conducted properly? Also, shouldn't the bylaw that was passed June 9th also be made available on the city's website of listed bylaws? I would think so.

For all you Edmontonians that are on the fringe of being at risk for a ticket, at least document how they conduct the test because if you really feel that you've been wronged, this might help you in court.

Rant over! :rant:

 

[Goop]

The whole thing smells of LAME to me.

 

[FZ6-ZN]

I say; ban the Vuvuzela, leave my noisy bike alone. :BLAA:

FZ6-ZN

 

[joe1971]

Wow thats just bulls&^t ehh

 

[lonesoldier84]

Yeah, it's pretty lame alright. I can understand the harleys that have the RIDICULOUSLY loud exhausts, and the pick-ups with the rip-your-ears-off-your-head-kind-of-loud exhausts, and other vehicles that are insanely loud....but I worry this just gives cops ANOTHER excuse to pull over bikers and give them tickets.

Thing about getting a ticket, even if you get one and aren't guilty, you still have to take time off work and when you work somewhere that has a lot of deadlines and is team-oriented, that can really be a massively annoying thing to have to do. Because then you also have to choose whether not to get paid for it or come in 2 hours early another day to make up the lost work...

The 2 biggest gripes I have are the same as yours BD.

1) Why only motorcycles?
2) How do we know the test is being performed right?

So, how is the test SUPPOSED to be done then?

P.S. Another massive gripe I have, and I mean MASSIVE is the new speed-on-green red light cameras. They blend in very well with everything around them in clustered areas, so when I am riding aroun at my usual 5-15kph over, which is NOT dangerous in Edmonton with its straight roads, low traffic, and MASSIVE lanes, I am scanning for these god forsaken cameras and that takes focus away from the traffic in the intersection.

I've gotten two tickets already which have eaten out of my bike-budget, and for what? I am not a wreckless rider, and I am not unsafe. 85kph on Yellowhead??? Yellowhead is a world-class international highway in some parts of the world. 70kph limit...give me a break. It is 3 lanes wide, with no intersections on it for long stretches and no ability for cars to turn into it from anyplace most of the time. When there is, slow it down a bit. When traffic is light, and you are on one of the long stretches with no intersections.....70kph? Jesus.

Same goes for the Whitemud, though there are thankfully never any cameras on there that you can't spot from a mile off.

As for the main roads in the city, I usually don't go over 10kph over the limit unless there is very little traffic out. Photo radar cops will usually wave you by if you're 10 over. 12-15 over though, and the light cameras and photo radar will ding you somewhere under $200 if you don't go in and get it decreased further (after taking time off work again).

The whole god damned system is retarded. Speed limits should be 10kph higher across the board and they should give drivers/riders the ability to make a judgement call regarding their speed up to 10kph over that. If traffic is present, the tickets should be given then. If traffic is light or non-existant as they can clearly see in their pictures, they should junk it before they mail it out.

My photo ticket on yellowhead literally has ZERO other vehicles in the picture frame and you can see way down the road even in the picture. I lost a day's salary for it. I worked a WHOLE day just to pay for travelling at a safe speed down a road with ZERO chance for anything to happen. So bloody retarded.

/rant

 

[jrevans]

Speed on Green

MASSIVE[/B] is the new speed-on-green red light cameras.

Soldier, I've never heard of a speed-on-green red light camera. I'm guessing that it's a red light camera that also functions as a speed camera on the green light cycle? If so, wow, that's crazy!

I can't stand how intrusive government came become sometime, especially when they put additional income in the way of safety, which is my view of speed cameras (and red light cameras where they shorten the yellow light).

 

[Dozer]

Yeah, it's pretty lame alright. I can understand the harleys that have the RIDICULOUSLY loud exhausts, and the pick-ups with the rip-your-ears-off-your-head-kind-of-loud exhausts, and other vehicles that are insanely loud....but I worry this just gives cops ANOTHER excuse to pull over bikers and give them tickets.

Thing about getting a ticket, even if you get one and aren't guilty, you still have to take time off work and when you work somewhere that has a lot of deadlines and is team-oriented, that can really be a massively annoying thing to have to do. Because then you also have to choose whether not to get paid for it or come in 2 hours early another day to make up the lost work...

The 2 biggest gripes I have are the same as yours BD.

1) Why only motorcycles?
2) How do we know the test is being performed right?

So, how is the test SUPPOSED to be done then?

P.S. Another massive gripe I have, and I mean MASSIVE is the new speed-on-green red light cameras. They blend in very well with everything around them in clustered areas, so when I am riding aroun at my usual 5-15kph over, which is NOT dangerous in Edmonton with its straight roads, low traffic, and MASSIVE lanes, I am scanning for these god forsaken cameras and that takes focus away from the traffic in the intersection.

I've gotten two tickets already which have eaten out of my bike-budget, and for what? I am not a wreckless rider, and I am not unsafe. 85kph on Yellowhead??? Yellowhead is a world-class international highway in some parts of the world. 70kph limit...give me a break. It is 3 lanes wide, with no intersections on it for long stretches and no ability for cars to turn into it from anyplace most of the time. When there is, slow it down a bit. When traffic is light, and you are on one of the long stretches with no intersections.....70kph? Jesus.

Same goes for the Whitemud, though there are thankfully never any cameras on there that you can't spot from a mile off.

As for the main roads in the city, I usually don't go over 10kph over the limit unless there is very little traffic out. Photo radar cops will usually wave you by if you're 10 over. 12-15 over though, and the light cameras and photo radar will ding you somewhere under $200 if you don't go in and get it decreased further (after taking time off work again).

The whole god damned system is retarded. Speed limits should be 10kph higher across the board and they should give drivers/riders the ability to make a judgement call regarding their speed up to 10kph over that. If traffic is present, the tickets should be given then. If traffic is light or non-existant as they can clearly see in their pictures, they should junk it before they mail it out.

My photo ticket on yellowhead literally has ZERO other vehicles in the picture frame and you can see way down the road even in the picture. I lost a day's salary for it. I worked a WHOLE day just to pay for travelling at a safe speed down a road with ZERO chance for anything to happen. So bloody retarded.

/rant

I love it when people complain about getting tickets when they speed. If you don't want a ticket...don't speed.