Hamilton councillor wants police to crack down on noisy vehicles
Published June 22, 2020 at 8:46 pm
A motion in front of Hamilton City Council at Wednesday’s (June 24) meeting is looking to quiet loud cars on city roads.
A motion in front of Hamilton City Council at Wednesday’s (June 24) meeting is looking to quiet loud cars on city roads.
The motion, put forward by Ward 6 councillor Tom Jackson, asks that council consider asking the Hamilton Police Service to initiate an enforcement program that would crack down on vehicles making ‘excessive or unusual noise.’
“Muffler-less vehicles and unnecessary noise under the Highway Traffic Act are both enforceable by Hamilton Police Service (HPS) for operating a vehicle without a muffler or having a muffler that produces excessive noise,” Jackson’s motion states.
“The Highway Traffic Act covers both motorcycles and loud cars/trucks [and] disturbances caused by noise pollution affects the ‘quality of life’ for our residents.”
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The motion also notes that during the COVID-19 pandemic, complaints related to loud vehicles have been on the rise.
Also, stunt driving offences have been on the rise in the city since the province declared a state of emergency.
So much so, that Hamilton Police launched ‘Project Recalibrate’ in response to an increase of the increasing number of speeding and stunt driving violations happening on the city’s deserted roads.
Halton Regional Police have launched several campaigns this year to crack down on loud cars as well.
Jackson’s motion points to Halton’s enforcement efforts and says that previous initiatives carried out in Hamilton have proven successful in reducing noise levels and raising awareness.
“HPS blitzes carried out on the Mountain and in Waterdown during the Summer of 2013 conducted by then Sgt. Myra James were tremendously successful,” the motion says.
The motion asks that council “request a Strategic Enforcement of Excessive or Unusual Noise from Motor Vehicles by Hamilton Police Services during the Summer/Fall of 2020.”
Councillors will be voting on the motion Wednesday morning during their virtual meeting, which starts at 9:30 and will be streamed live on the City of Hamilton’s YouTube channel.
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