This is not only deafening, but very dangerous. Multiple fatalities have already occurred already this year. You can register to speak to the police oversight body, the Edmonton Police Commission (virtual or in person) Thursday May 15th and ask them about their traffic safety plan.

The Edmonton Police have asked your support in noise reporting form here:

Please help them identify hotspots and provide data to dispatch resources.

City Council passed UNANIMOUSLY a new noise bylaw that increased ticketing to $1000 (and doubling per offence) for violations. Please read more at edmonton.ca and continue to show your support through measures below.

Increased Fines will hopefully serve as a deterrent, however effective enforcement through automated cameras such as those used in New York, London, Paris and other cities is the most promising tool for consistent and equitable enforcement. Please keep advocating to the provincial government for regulatory changes to empower noise enforcement.

New section in Bylaw to address excessive vehicle noise

February 24, 2023 Today, City Council amended Traffic Bylaw 5590 to create a new offence for excessive vehicle noise. Previously, only excessive motorcycle noise was included.  Currently, City of Edmonton Peace Officers, in collaboration with the Edmonton Police Service, enforce excessive passenger vehicle noise offences using the provincial Traffic Safety Act and its Regulations, and excessive motorcycle noise through the Community Standards Bylaw. The new offence and fine amount is intended to work as an additional deterrent to excessive vehicle noise when offences in Alberta’s Traffic Safety Act have been exhausted and are not serving as a meaningful deterrent and in cases where the seriousness of the offence merits its use. Enforcement officers will exercise discretion when applying this new offence recognizing each situation can be unique and doesn’t always warrant a ticket. Under this new section, excessive vehicle noise carries a fine of $1,000 and is doubled for a subsequent offence. The new offence comes into effect today.

Take Action: UCP Transportation Minister Dreeshan said photo radar can’t be used for noise violations. 

CALL TO ACTION:

Please Call Minister Devin Dreeshen (780-427-2080) and ask for his help to silence the noisy vehicles.

We know that this technology can have the needed precision to hand out tickets on noisy vehicles and already is working in London, Paris, New York, and others. But this technology is being blocked by the Alberta UCP from use in Alberta because it's been included in their photo radar moratorium.

You can call his office and leave a message with his staff who will let him know. I'm told by people at the Legislature that phone calls weigh  heavily  on the Ministers.

DEVIN DREESHEN, Honourable - Minister of Transportation - Office of the Minister
Phone: 780 427-2080

Too late to phone? Send an email!  (Please BCC my office at [email protected])

Here's a draft that I encourage you to customize:

E-mail: [email protected],

Subject: Please help address stunting, Dangerous driving, and excessive noise 

Minister Dreeshen,

I am a resident of Edmonton and I urge you to take any and all action in your legislative authority to empower municipalities and law enforcement to address the issues of noisy vehicles, stunting, and dangerous driving behaviour.

The excessive noise is only part of the harm these drivers are choosing to inflict on our community with these optional modifications.

The Edmonton Police acknowledge this is a serious issue: https://www.edmontonpolice.ca/TrafficVehicles/TrafficNoise

Noisy vehicles are often modified to be excessively noisy and are frustrating the police, neighbours, businesses and families. We need your help addressing this nuissance and public safety concern. 

This could be a big win for us all with no downside to you, as you just need to pass the laws which the local municipalities will enforce, fund, resource, and action.

Sincerely,

Name

Address

PS: Given the public health implications cited, I would encourage you to talk with the Health Minister: 

https://edmonton.taproot.news/news/2022/08/08/more-than-an-annoyance-traffic-noise-is-a-matter-of-public-health

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SECOND REQUEST:
Please share your views with other members of Edmonton City Council: [email protected] 

TAKE ACTION:

Please email: [email protected] and please cc Police Commission Chair John McDougall and, if you wish, City Council: [email protected]

---

Draft message - Please Copy / Paste / Customize

To: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Subject: Dangerous Vehicle Behaviour and Noise Violations

 

Dear Municipal Leaders,

I am writing to urge you to take action on the enforcement of noisy vehicles. Excessive noise, dangerous driving, and stunting pose a major safety issue in the community to neighbours and our pets.

I live in <neighbourhood> and am negatively impacted by noise on a regular basis. 

Modified vehicles are already illegal. Please enforce the law.

These modified exhausts serve no purpose but to create noise. They use bridges, underpasses and lower than grade roadways as echo chambers, rev up engines while in neutral/clutch disengaged. They disturb our homes, our sleep, and our patio experiences. For what?

These vehicles should be removed from the roadways under the TSA which will act as a severe deterrent to all like-minded drivers:

The deafening popping noise you hear is caused by this modification https://www.motorhills.com/how-to-make-any-car-backfire-7-ways/#:~:text=The%20way%20to%20make%20your,that%20muffle%20the%20exhaust%20sound which, ironically, decreases performance. It also burns excess fuel contributing to climate change.

 

Division 2
Vehicles, Equipment, Accidents
and Removal of Vehicles

Equipment standards

65(1)  Except as otherwise permitted under this Act, a person shall not do any of the following:

(a) drive or operate a vehicle on a highway unless that vehicle complies with the vehicle and equipment standards set out in the regulations in respect of that vehicle;

Inspection of vehicles

66(1)  A peace officer may, for the purposes of

(f) direct that the vehicle or its equipment, or both, be removed from the highway or from operation and that it not be returned to a highway or operation until the vehicle or its equipment, or both, have been, as the case may be,

(4)  If a driver or an owner of a vehicle is given a direction under subsection (1)(f), a peace officer may seize the licence plate and certificate of registration issued in respect of that vehicle, and in the case of a vehicle in a prescribed class of commercial vehicles, a peace officer may seize the certificate of registration or a copy of the certificate of registration, and hold the licence plate and certificate of registration or copy of the certificate of registration, as the case may be, until the vehicle or its equipment, or both, have been, in accordance with the direction,

VEHICLE EQUIPMENT REGULATION AR 122/2009

Mufflers 

61(1)  A motor vehicle propelled by an internal combustion engine must have an exhaust muffler that cools and expels the exhaust gases from the engine without excessive noise and without producing flames or sparks.

(2)  A person shall not drive or operate a motor vehicle propelled by an internal combustion engine if the exhaust outlet of the muffler has been widened.

(3)  A person shall not drive or operate a motor vehicle propelled by an internal combustion engine if a device is attached to the exhaust system or the muffler that increases the noise made by the expulsion of gases from the engine or allows a flame to be ignited from the exhaust system. 

(4)  This section applies to a power bicycle that is propelled by an internal combustion engine. 

 

Sincerely,

<Resident>

Motion: 

1. That Administration prepare bylaw amendments to:

   1. create an excessive noise offence applicable to passenger vehicles with a fine amount of $5,000 for a first offence and $10,000 for a second offence; and

   2.  increase the fine amount for the motorcycle noise offence to $5,000 for a first offence and $10,000 for a second offence,
      and return to Committee.

Due Date: November 21, 2022, Community and Public Services Committee 

1. That Community and Public Services Committee recommend to City Council:

   1. That the Mayor on behalf of City Council advocate to the Government of Alberta to recognize automated roadway noise enforcement tools and allows municipalities to use them for noise infractions.

   2. That the Mayor on behalf of City Council advocate to the Government of Alberta for the Traffic Safety Act to be amended to allow municipalities to ban vehicle modifications that cause for excessive roadway noise and explore tools to restrict the sale of said products.

   3. That the Mayor on behalf of City Council advocate to the Government of Alberta for the Traffic Safety Act to be amended to allow municipalities to seize vehicles driving in excess of 50 KM/H over the speed limit.

We don't need driver education; we need enforcement. We don't need warnings; we need tickets and impounding. The maximum allowable fine could be increased up to $10,000. The current 85-decibel limit may be too high and require a reduction to 74 decibels like in Europe. Community members also suggested noise curfews forbidding noisy motorcycles after certain hours or outright motorcycle bans along certain roads (Whyte Avenue, Saskatchewan Drive, Groat Road, Connors Road, for instance).