[Sosfbay-discuss] Noise abatement - how to petition?

[Cameron L. Spitzer]

The highway near me makes a continuous rushing roar.
If you stand on the bridge and listen to it, the components
are tire noise on concrete, diesel trucks, and thousands
of poorly streamlined cars rushing through the air.
Motorcycles are not a factor.  The point sources of noise
in my neighborhood are leaf blowers and delivery trucks,
and my neighbor's screaming gas-powered radio-controlled
model cars.  Downtown, the biggest problem by far is jet
planes.  Maybe motorcycle noise is the problem in particular
neighborhoods, but I've never been in one.

I suspect the noise that does the most damage to the
most people is loud machinery (including music systems)
at the workplace (bars, nightclubs, trucks, construction
sites, factories), and music players that plug the ear
canal and apply a hundred milliwatts of noise directly to
the eardrum.  I've been in too many bars where you can't
scream loud enough into someone's ear for them to hear
you.  An eight hour shift in that environment is going
to do damage.  Calling it music and exposing yourself
to it voluntarily doesn't make it any less dangerous.
Makes my ears ring just to think about it.

A petition against motorcycle noise in particular would be
a real good way to alienate motorcyclists against the Green
Party.  Off road vehicle clubs are a favorite trojan horse
for "Wise Use" antienvironment groups.  I'd rather not
give them a great big stick to hit us with.  Not without
some significant gain to trade it for, and especially when
motorcycles are hardly the major source of noise pollution.
I'd rather see that effort go into holding employers
accountable for hearing loss on the job.


Cameron