Time to curb Excessive Motorcycle Noise

Purpose: The purpose of this petition is to gather enough signatures and present a case to Toronto City Council and the Provincial Government, to pass a new law limiting the noise which is emitted from a Motorcycle exhaust system. Why is this an issue? Your hearing is being put at risk by these illegally modified exhausts. Are you willing to risk losing your job or your normal life, over someone's illegally modified exhaust? "Continuous sound of 85 decibels or higher is considered hazardous and can cause long-term hearing loss. That’s about as loud as a gas lawn mower. Motorcycles with straight pipes, not stock mufflers, go way beyond that. Each increase of 6 decibels doubles the noise level and noise above 130 decibels causes pain." Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-drive/green-driving/news-and-notes/not-just-idle-threats-motorcycle-riders-fined-for-loud-bikes/article2126370/ "The effects of excessive motorcycle noise on the health and welfare of the general public are well documented. The EPA became concerned about the issue of motorcycle noise when it became evident that in every survey, motorcycle noise is over-represented in the interruptions of people's everyday activities, such as sleeping, relaxing, TV and radio listening, and face-to-face and telephone communications (speech interference). Excessive motorcycle noise that causes these activity interruptions additionally can have serious negative health effects on the unsuspecting public." Source: http://www.noiseoff.org/pipes/ "Exposure to noise causes stress. The body has a basic primitive response mechanism, which automatically reacts to noise as if to a warning or danger signal. A complex series of bodily reactions to noise (some times called "flight of fight" response) takes place; these reactions are beyond conscious control. When noise intrudes, these reactions can include elevated blood pressure, changes in heart rate, secretions of certain hormones (most notably adrenaline) into the bloodstream, changes in digestive process, and increased perspiration on the skin." Source: http://www.noiseoff.org/pipes/section.04.01.php Here is a graph of the comparison of Motorcycle noise to various other forms of loud noise: http://media.columbiamissourian.com/multimedia/2010/07/29/media/0730MotorcycleNoises_t_w600_h3000.gif Background: The Town of Oakville has implemented it's loud pipe noise bylaw with fines from $400-$25000 for first time offenders and up to $50000 for second offense. Town Council voted, to approve a bylaw, which seeks to muffle excessive motorcycle noise by limiting exactly how much sound a motorcycle in Oakville is allowed to make.Under the bylaw, a motorcycle cannot be operated in Oakville if it emits any sound exceeding 92 dBA (decibels) from the exhaust outlet as measured at 50 centimeters by means of a sound level meter while the motorcycle is idling.The bylaw also says a one, two, five or six-cylinder motorcycle cannot be driven in Oakville if its noise exceeds 96 dBA (at 2,000 RPM). A three or four-cylinder motorcycle cannot be driven if its noise exceeds 100 dBA (at 5,000 RPM). The bylaw will not be enforced until July 1, 2012 to allow for a public education/awareness campaign. Harley-Davidson knows that a lot of its customers like their bikes as noisy as possible and remove the legal mufflers to substitute straight pipes. Jim McCaslin, president and CEO of Harley-Davidson Motor Co., realizes that causes problems and has said, “We need to think about the consequences our actions have on others, before others take action against us.” Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-drive/green-driving/news-and-notes/not-just-idle-threats-motorcycle-riders-fined-for-loud-bikes/article2126370/ Currently, the city of Toronto has no such bylaw and the bylaw officers do not have the authority to stop vehicles. More information on the current Toronto Noise bylaw is available at http://www.toronto.ca/311/knowledgebase/00/101001438900.html