Bylaws can be positive or negative. They are most certainly positive if they take all members of the community into consideration and aim to make improvements for all members. They are negative and highly discriminatory (unjust) if they are based on subjective and biased opinion, and unsupported by factual data.
Based on comments made by Red Deer city council members while in session about a potential noise bylaw this week, it is my understanding that three council members introduced and supported this suggested bylaw. Each claimed that they had received complaints from their constituents.
You would think that our council would operate in a far more professional manner especially when they are considering the implementation of a law that can impose fines on the citizens of our community or those visiting. You would think that council collectively would want proof that constituents are complaining en masse before a considerable amount of money, time and effort went into investigating something so trivial (trivial compared to our real needs during a recession).
Again remember, a bylaw can impose hardship and fines on citizens and visitors so one would think that a considerable amount of integrity would go into the introduction of an idea that would do such (consider: currently there is no data council has introduced that proves that motorcycles bother enough people to warrant a new bylaw that specifically targets motorcycles and fines the operators.)
In my 43 years, I have never been inconvenienced by motorcycle noise or known anyone who has. Sure I, like others, have heard the odd loud motorcycle but honestly, it was there one second and gone the next. I can state however (over and over) that I have been inconvenienced by loud diesel trucks (both noise and black exhaust), lawn mowers, loud music, yelling children, barking dogs, unruly teenagers etc. Consider, I even work on the same road as a local motorcycle dealership. Everyday throughout spring, summer and fall, my coworkers and I watch numerous motorcycles pass by our office (literally 30 metres away). We have never even considered it being an inconvenience to ourselves or to our customers. Never has a phone call, a conversation inside or outside of our building been interrupted or inconvenienced. Actually, we have never even discussed the matter until council rebounded with the idea (trying to ‘be like’ Edmonton).
People love to have an opinion, especially after-the-fact when they are asked for one and most often it becomes the ‘hypothetical consideration’ as they think about the topic instead of basing their claims on quantifiable experiences.
The facts introduced to council via the RCMP prove that very few people complain about total vehicle noise; the percentage of those complaints that involve motorcycles was not even mentioned. Compare the few complaints to the hundreds or thousands of hard working, taxpaying motorcycle enthusiasts in our community. The few of them (compared to other vehicles) are only on the road for less than half of the year. Trying to understand why this has become an issue baffles me and others.
Let’s get away from becoming prudes here in Red Deer. Motorcycle enthusiasts are in every age bracket and social status. Some like very quiet bikes, other a mild rumble and even fewer a loud one. All whom I know do not support making excessive noise intentionally and if they crack their throttle, it is on the highway or other place where the exhilarating sound doesn’t bother even the most sensitive to noises.
How council has operated on this one ridiculous issue (compared to our real needs) has damaged how many Red Deer citizens, especially motorcycle enthusiasts, view the professionalism of those who make decisions on our behalf.
Steve Boissoin
Red Deer