Toronto Mayor says men with loud cars are compensating for other inadequacies
Guys who rev their engines excessively at stoplights, modify their whips to sound like planes and squeal their tires for no apparent reason... yeah, they exude the exact opposite of BDE.
Just ask His Worship John Tory, Mayor of Toronto.
In advance of a new noise bylaw coming into effect this October, Toronto Police and City of Toronto bylaw officers held a press conference Monday evening to announce a blitz aimed at drivers whose vehicles "have been modified, altered or used in a way that is excessively noisy."
Officials are taking particular aim at people who blast music from their vehicles, rev their motorcycles, honk their horns ad nauseum, have booming mufflers or participate in stunt driving around Yorkville, according to police, in light of a recent wave of complaints.
Loud and excessive noise can be characterized as noise that is a nuisance to the general public, taking into consideration the nature, location, time and proximity of the source to residents and members of the public. Some examples of enforceable disturbances include: pic.twitter.com/tSjDGNuGS8
— John Tory (@JohnTory) July 16, 2019
"I think people who live in the city understand that it's not going to be Algonquin Park and it's not going to be silent at all times," said Tory to reporters during last night's press conference.
"But the thing they have no understanding and no patience for, and I tend to agree with them, is noise that is caused by vehicles — especially people who are deliberately revving their engines and otherwise modifying their equipment to create an excessive level of noise that is disrupting the lives of people who are living in the city."
Tory went on to say that the problem extends beyond the downtown core, that residents are continuously filing complaints about it, and that there really is no excuse for what these drivers are doing.
There may be an explanation, however.
"My wife has explained this many times to me as being simply an outcropping of the inadequacies that certain people feel — mostly men who drive these cars around," said the mayor with a smirk. "I will go no further than that."
BURN!
While Toronto's own enhanced noise rules aren't yet in place, police do have the authority to crack down on anything considered to be of general nuisance to the public. The province's Highway Traffic Act also prohibits loud mufflers, tire squealing and engine revving.
Those caught acting a fool in their cars during the blitz period will face fines of up to $155 per offence.
