City
Sound Ban in the City?
The Star is reporting today that city council is looking to start enforcing a ban on loudspeakers, music, and other public noise coming from Toronto businesses.
In an effort to deal with complaints about the noise, council is proposing to hire four full-time officers to monitor the streets and issue fines where they deem appropriate. Cash grab? Hardly, considering the whole plan (including administrative costs) could cost an estimated $340,000 a year.
The way I see it, trying to enforce rules at night seems a worthwhile cause, but a daytime crackdown is just another way to throw away piles of cash this city NEEDS.
This is Toronto. It's noisy. Get used to it.
Having a special task force of sorts put in place is just overdoing it. If there's a legitimate complaint, send the police (already in the area) who can then warn or issue a fine.
Besides, as the Star touches on, a fine may hurt a small shop playing music, but what about big stores like Sears? They'll just swallow the cost and play their crap all the live long day.
Shouting or loudspeaker annoucements could also be fined. Imagine us, a year from now, banding together to defend the Active Surplus guy.
Find something else to fix. I'm sure blogTO readers can come up with a long list of suggestions.
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There is a bar across the street from my house called ADAM. During the summer, it keeps it's front windows open and persists in playing live music and DJ's until 4am.
As you may know, I'm in a band and I support live music. I understand the need for a bar to entertain it's patrons until 2am(although I don't agree with 4am). Leaving the front windows open is disrespectful to the community though.
The REAL problem is they persist in doing this <i>during the week</i>. Friday/Saturday I get. Sunday-Thursday I do not.
Where it really gets stupid is, since I have now made it my pet project to have this abr shut down, I have seen how inffectual our police are in dealing with this. I call 14th precinct pretty much every night between Sun-Thurs to make a noise complaint. They say they will send someone out. But of course, there are more pressing matters for them to attend to, so sometimes they don't show, sometimes they show a couple of hours later.
The precinct has told me to call the city. I call the # they give me, which then automatically routes me directly back to the precinct. So, this is pretty frustrating.
I totaly agree that trying to shut down "noise" during the day is counter-productive. For instance, what is more annoying: the sound of construction at The ROM or one of the ubiquitous condo developments, or the music being played at stores on Queen St. or The Bay? Does this mean the ALLCAP concerts at Dufferin Grove are doomed?
I say, keep the noise bylaws that are in place, with the same time allowances, but beef up the fines for scofflaws, and get more effective at enforcing the bylaws that exist.
"This is a city of two million people. There's going to be noise," he said. "If you don't like it, move to some place quiet like Ottawa."
That's this weird myth - that in big cities, people are naturally allowed to make as much noise as they like.
In a dense city, the noise you make has *more* impact on other people than in a less dense area. So yeah - play your music night and day if you live on a farm (or even in a detached suburban home). But if you're in a city with lots of other people around, you have different responsibilities.
It's true that noise is a natural part of city life. Like many natural problems of city life, it's reasonable to expect cities to take steps to minimize its impact. Cities breed noise, sure. Cities also breed smog and street crime, but you don't hear anyone saying that the city shouldn't try to reduce those things.
With noise, as with a lot of other things, its about balance: People should have the right to listen to music, to do construction, to do other noisy things. But people also have the right to quiet.
I'd say to that shopkeeper: "This is a city of two million people. You're going to have to make some concessions to other people. If you don't like it, move to the country."
Dan says no to the BAN
People who want peace and quiet should move to the countryside. I personally moved to the city because I LIKE the excitement and noises of a busy city. Thats what cities are supposed to be about!
Why is this such a north american phenomena? Why is it that people who live in big modern cities in other parts of the globe not only accept, but welcome the sounds of a big city?
In Canada we cant even have a festival in the woods without some asshole getting it shut down!
Canadians pretend that they are tolerant and liberal. I think more like anal intolerant and unneighbourly would be accurate
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