'They're already illegal': City council to look at increasing fines for noisy vehicles
Drivers with noisy vehicles in Edmonton could face larger fines if a change to the city's noise bylaw is passed.
"This has been a major issue across Edmonton. I have received support all the way up to Clareview, all the way down to Keswick," Coun. Michael Janz told CTV News Edmonton.
Last fall, Janz launched an online petition asking the city to look into the issue.
Now, the issue is before city council, who will look at modifying the existing bylaw on Wednesday.
Janz wants to see the fine for excessively loud vehicles raised from the current maximum of $250 to $1,000.
The proposed bylaw change would also see the fine double for every repeat infraction.
"I hope even the threat of the ticket deters someone from modifying their vehicle, and if they’ve already installed products on it, they go and get them removed," Janz said.
"They’re already illegal, they’re already against the traffic safety act. This is not something they should have done anyway, there’s very little sympathy for these folks in the community."
There are two thresholds under the proposed bylaw - 92 decibels while idling, or 96 decibels when revving an engine.
Janz says that's about as loud as a blender up close and well below the noise level of a leaf blower or a siren.
However, enforcing such a bylaw could be tricky.
Bylaw officers can't be everywhere, and although the city piloted technology in 2018 that picked up on noise, the results didn't hold up in court.
Janz says the technology has improved in recent years.
"They’re using it - London, New York, Paris, other cities. It’s remarkably efficient, it has precision technology that leaves no ambiguity."
CTV News Edmonton reached out to the Edmonton Police Service with questions about enforcement, but police responded they do not want to comment on a bylaw amendment that is before council.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Hackers release corporate data stolen from London Drugs
Retailer London Drugs says cybercriminals who stole files from its corporate head office last month have released some of the data after it refused to pay a ransom.
Toronto man falls off his chair after seeing $70M Lotto Max win in his bank account
A Toronto man who won $70 million in a recent Lotto Max draw literally fell off his chair when he saw the funds in his bank account.
Montreal-area high school students protest 'sexist' dress code
Approximately 50 Montreal-area students — the vast majority of them female — were suspended Wednesday after their school deemed the shorts they were wearing were too short. On Thursday, several students staged a walk-out to protest what they believe is a "sexist" dress code that unfairly targets girls.
'Looking over our shoulders': A killing looms large in a little B.C. town
Something shifted in the pretty little village of Lumby, B.C., after Tatjana Stefanski vanished. It used to be the sort of place where parents let their kids roam free or play in the local creek, but everything has changed.
Remaining wrongful death lawsuit filed after deadly Astroworld concert has been settled, lawyer says
The one remaining wrongful death lawsuit filed after 10 people were killed during a deadly crowd crush at the 2021 Astroworld music festival has been settled, an attorney said Thursday.
What is 'slapped cheek disease' and should parents be concerned?
Despite its rough name, experts say most cases of 'slapped cheek disease' are mild and not a cause for concern.
'I won't stop,' Celine Dion says in trailer for upcoming doc about her health woes
Celine Dion's fans are getting a first glimpse of the superstar's struggle with a rare neurological disorder in an emotional trailer for an upcoming documentary about her career and life.
Rapper Sean Kingston's home raided by SWAT; mother arrested on fraud and theft charges
A SWAT team raided rapper Sean Kingston's rented South Florida mansion on Thursday and arrested his mother on fraud and theft charges that an attorney says stem partly from the installation of a massive TV at the home.
Hidden risks: Why ultra-processed food may be hurting our brains
Ultra-processed foods are quick, convenient and hard to avoid, but there is growing evidence that eating these products can have an impact on brain health, leading to cognitive decline and stroke.