I live in West Asheville and am awakened almost every night after 11 p.m. by the noise of trucks or motorcycles flying by at excessive speed with no mufflers. The noise has increased dramatically over the past five years or so.
— Susan Jensen Asheville
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5 thoughts on “Letter: Clamp down on noisy vehicles”
Mike R.
Yes it is very bad. Seems like every other truck has had exhaust modifications to increase noise. To me, this is the kind of thing teenagers used to do with their “souped up bucket”. Most grew out of this phase and went on to lead productive and respectful lives. But not here. For some reason, grown men are still enamored with the roar of the engine every time they take off. And of course low muffled motorcycles have always been around but usually you only have to toleratet them on the highway as most of these folks are getting up there in years. Thank god!
The new noise ordinance will address these noisy vehicles….the problem is getting regular enforcement. APD is way down in strength and even if full strength, police departments all over have not enforced this stuff for many years (my experience). This basically boils down to respectful citizenship and frankly, only one of many things we see today that flaunt that goal/ideal (e.g., anything goes!).
Bright
Who will enforce the excessive noise? Asheville’s Finest are leaving. Asheville is in a losing game. Good people are fed up…
Shultz!
Hire a company to automate it, just like they do with stoplight cameras. No reason you can’t have a camera/noise meter setup to snap a rear-end/plate photo w/decibel reading beside it. Just like the stoplight camera – you don’t know you were caught until you get a letter in the mail letting you know you’ve been fined (been there). Bet it’d work pretty well.
kw
We have begged City of Asheville to patrol Richmond Hill Drive due to heavy traffic and constant speeding (including late-night hot rods with loud mufflers). Asheville Streets did a traffic study and found that a large percentage of vehicles were exceeding 20mph along this narrow peaceful residential street, endangering residents and visitors (even tourists) trying to enjoy Asheville’s Richmond Hill Park. We were told that we were eligible for traffic calming measures and have repeatedly asked for a couple of speed humps, only to be told that the Fire Department discourages it because they could not adequately safeguard our neighborhood. And yet, Buncombe County Fire Chief has (very questionably) told the Town of Woodfin that he wouldn’t have trouble safeguarding thousands of renters should the Bluffs proposal be approved, despite the addition of up to 10,000 car trips per day and jack knifed trucks on Richmond Hill Drive. So. Safety. Noise. Fire. Overpopulation. Greed. Myopia. Lies?
All forces battle against one another and we who have lived here as long as 60 years continue to pay taxes to live in a city that’s being sold down the river…
Lou
I live right near the entrance to Montreat and nearly every single excessively loud truck is coming and going from/to Montreat. Where is OUR help making these children posing as men responsible? I am so sick and tired of the gunning of the engines and the screeching of tires, all while the one Montreat cop just stands outside smoking and watching it happen. Hell, he is probably related to most of them. Toxic men are completely trashing our community, much like they have the entire planet. Get a traffic camera that records and mails a ticket. I AM SICK OF MY RIGHTS BEING TRAMPLED BY OTHERS…who are NEVER held accountable. DONE.
Yes it is very bad. Seems like every other truck has had exhaust modifications to increase noise. To me, this is the kind of thing teenagers used to do with their “souped up bucket”. Most grew out of this phase and went on to lead productive and respectful lives. But not here. For some reason, grown men are still enamored with the roar of the engine every time they take off. And of course low muffled motorcycles have always been around but usually you only have to toleratet them on the highway as most of these folks are getting up there in years. Thank god!
The new noise ordinance will address these noisy vehicles….the problem is getting regular enforcement. APD is way down in strength and even if full strength, police departments all over have not enforced this stuff for many years (my experience). This basically boils down to respectful citizenship and frankly, only one of many things we see today that flaunt that goal/ideal (e.g., anything goes!).
Who will enforce the excessive noise? Asheville’s Finest are leaving. Asheville is in a losing game. Good people are fed up…
Hire a company to automate it, just like they do with stoplight cameras. No reason you can’t have a camera/noise meter setup to snap a rear-end/plate photo w/decibel reading beside it. Just like the stoplight camera – you don’t know you were caught until you get a letter in the mail letting you know you’ve been fined (been there). Bet it’d work pretty well.
We have begged City of Asheville to patrol Richmond Hill Drive due to heavy traffic and constant speeding (including late-night hot rods with loud mufflers). Asheville Streets did a traffic study and found that a large percentage of vehicles were exceeding 20mph along this narrow peaceful residential street, endangering residents and visitors (even tourists) trying to enjoy Asheville’s Richmond Hill Park. We were told that we were eligible for traffic calming measures and have repeatedly asked for a couple of speed humps, only to be told that the Fire Department discourages it because they could not adequately safeguard our neighborhood. And yet, Buncombe County Fire Chief has (very questionably) told the Town of Woodfin that he wouldn’t have trouble safeguarding thousands of renters should the Bluffs proposal be approved, despite the addition of up to 10,000 car trips per day and jack knifed trucks on Richmond Hill Drive. So. Safety. Noise. Fire. Overpopulation. Greed. Myopia. Lies?
All forces battle against one another and we who have lived here as long as 60 years continue to pay taxes to live in a city that’s being sold down the river…
I live right near the entrance to Montreat and nearly every single excessively loud truck is coming and going from/to Montreat. Where is OUR help making these children posing as men responsible? I am so sick and tired of the gunning of the engines and the screeching of tires, all while the one Montreat cop just stands outside smoking and watching it happen. Hell, he is probably related to most of them. Toxic men are completely trashing our community, much like they have the entire planet. Get a traffic camera that records and mails a ticket. I AM SICK OF MY RIGHTS BEING TRAMPLED BY OTHERS…who are NEVER held accountable. DONE.