Bikers with an affinity for noise, beware.
Edmonton is now the first city in Canada — possibly in North America — with a bylaw that allows police officers to crack down on bikes exceeding specified noise level standards.
Officers can now issue $250 fines to bikes that exceed 92 decibels while idle or 96 decibels when the engine speed is greater than idle.
The decibel levels, sound-measuring equipment as well as angle and distance required to test the noise were developed and approved by the Society of Automotive Engineers. The police have purchased eight sound-measuring kits for about $17,000 to $24,000.
Before starting their crackdown, officers will be giving bikers an “amnesty period” and launching a $15,000 education and awareness campaign to give people time to learn about the bylaw and to test their bikes, said Acting Sgt. Eric Theuser with the traffic section.
Bikers will have a chance to test out their motorcycles free of charge this weekend to make sure they're not breaking the law.
Officers will be at NAIT's south campus south of University Avenue between 103 Street and 104 Street this Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. to test motorcycle noise levels using newly approved sound-measuring equipment.
Anyone found to have illegal bikes will not be ticketed but urged to go to a bike shop and have their noise-making after-market exhaust systems replaced, said acting Sgt. Eric Theuser.
But at the beginning of July 1/3 when the amnesty period is over 1/3 officers will hold checkstops, blitzes and start handing out fines, which range from $250 for a first-time offence to a mandatory court appearance for repeat offenders.
"We'll be focusing on the gross offenders, those who have done specific things to their bikes to make them louder," said Theuser.
City council recently approved a bylaw amendment that allows police officers to issue fines for bikes that were louder than 92 decibels while idling or louder than 96 decibels at an engine speed that's greater than idling.
Sports bikes with three or four-cylinder engines at 5,000 RPM will fail if they are louder than 100 decibels at engine speeds greater than idle.
Edmonton became possibly the first city in North America to use this standard of noise testing, with equipment and sound levels tested and approved by the Society of Automotive Engineers.
This new testing procedure replaces the subjective noise test officers had previously employed.
Edmonton police have purchased eight of the sound-measuring kits for about $17,000. A public education campaign, which cost $15,000, is underway.
Theuser said police have been doing some testing for the last few weeks and found that about 15% of the bikes they had stopped had failed the test.
None of the bikes with stock exhaust systems failed the test.
Theuser assured the public that bikers aren't being targeted - it's simply that the equipment and protocols haven't yet been developed for all other motor vehicles.
Other noisy vehicles will also be stopped, but officers will have to use a subjective hearing test to determine if the offending vehicles should be ticketed. The city is currently waiting for provincial legislation that would eventually allow police to take noisy vehicles off the roads.
Enforcement starts July 1.
