Reduce Noise Pollution in Regina

Noise pollution is killing you
The effects of excessive vehicle noise on the health and welfare of the general public are well documented. Noise is not a silent killer but a slow killer. People exposed to this type of noise on daily basis suffer from hearing loss, sleep deprivation, chronic fatigue, anxiety, hostility, depression and hypertension. For people who have vibroacoustic disease (an acute sensitivity to vibrational noise), it causes breathing difficulty, irregular heartbeats and nausea.

Noise is a health hazard. In August the World Health Organization, released preliminary estimates of the number of Europeans killed or disabled by exposure to noise. They state “that chronic and excessive traffic noise is implicated in the deaths of 3 per cent of people in Europe with ischaemic heart disease. “They go on to state “that 7 million people around the globe die each year from heart disease, and assuming an average exposure to traffic, that would put the annual toll from exposure to noise at 210,000 deaths.“

Any form of unwelcome sound is noise pollution, whether it is the roar of a jet plane overhead or the sound of a barking dog a block away. Other factors to consider are the time and place, the duration, the source of the sound, and whether the listener has any control over it. Most people would not be bothered by the sound of fireworks on a special occasion. On the other hand, the thump-thump of a neighbour's music at 2 a.m., even if barely audible, could be a major source of stress.

Experts agree that continued exposure to noise above 85 dBA will cause hearing loss. Vehicles with modified mufflers or straight pipes can produce sound levels which are deafening (up to 120 dB at 15.2 m distance). Another source of noise pollution is from sound systems in "boom cars". Standard car stereo systems have amplifiers capable of 5 W -> 50 W/channel. Boom cars can have sound systems have amplifiers with 700 W -> 2000 W/channel. They can produce about 143 dB sound. These health hazards are on our roads all the time. They not only irritate people, they damage our hearing and health.

Regina Noise Bylaw, Part III Specific Prohibitions
4. (A) Motor Vehicle Noises
(a) No person shall create loud unusual or unnecessary noise in the operation of a motor vehicle upon a public street, lane or thoroughfare within the City of Regina whether the noise is caused by the mechanical condition of the motor vehicle or the manner which the motor vehicle is operated and whether or not the vehicle is stationary or moving at the time the noise is created.

Loud exhaust systems, boom-box car stereos, squeeling tires etc, are on the increase. This "urban blight" in our community affects not only our "quality of life", but can also reduce your property values.

There are laws in place to control these loud noises. These laws won't be enforced unless we request that they be enforced.