There’s a new push to calm the often noisy streets of Seattle’s Alki neighborhood, where homeowners complain about loud engine noise, blaring stereos, and screeching tires on warm evenings in the beachfront community.
Seattle City Councilmember Lisa Herbold introduced a measure Monday, which would allow police to issue citations for muffler and engine noise that “can be clearly heard by a person of normal hearing at a distance of 75 feet or more from the vehicle.”
Under current law, police must measure exhaust noise with sound meters, which makes enforcement difficult, Herbold said in a blog post.
A summary of the proposed legislation states that Seattle Police Department staff have indicated that the department does not possess noise meters. The meters are very difficult to use and require calibrations that are difficult to teach, the summary states.
The proposal is expected to be heard at a June 13 meeting of the Gender Equity, Safe Communities, New Americans, and Education Committee.
Herbold’s office also examined existing laws for stereo noise and screeching tires and determined that sound meters are not needed to enforce those ordinances.
A recent survey showed noise from modified exhaust systems was the number one community concern, Herbold said.
