Restricting routes, stiffer fines eyed to help brake noisy vehicles in Edmonton

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Limiting where and when some vehicles can drive or raising fines are some ideas proposed to bring quiet to increasingly noisy Edmonton streets.

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A new report from city staff outlines ways council could clamp down on loud vehicles. Restricting certain noisy vehicles to specific routes at certain times or days of the week, revisiting fines for motorcycle noise, and creating a new bylaw for general vehicle noise offences are some options.

Planting more coniferous trees in noisy areas, grants for people and businesses for earplugs or acoustic paneling, and advocating to the province for broader legislation because of public health concerns are other ideas offered up.

Ward papastew Coun. Michael Janz  said Monday some drivers are cruising around and making a lot of noise but there hasn’t been enough enforcement.

“That’s got to stop and it’s happening all over Edmonton, and everyone’s fed up with it. I say, throw the book at them,” he said. “Any measure we can as a city to say it’s not welcome here — it’s got to stop.”

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Currently fines for vehicle noise are generally up to $250.

But according to Janz, some drivers aren’t just being noisy, they’re also being reckless, and fines need to be a lot higher to deter bad behaviour.

“Noise often goes hand-in-hand with street racing …  it’s dangerous driving, it’s stunting,” he said. “The ticket is marginally higher than littering … I think we need to make it worth its while that would generate more revenue to go into the (Edmonton Police Services’) program to pay for enforcement.

“Ideally, I’d like to see fines as high as $5,000 for a first offence, or $10,000 for a second. I would like to see vehicle seizures and auctions. Anything we can do. I cannot understate how angry Edmontonians are about this. It’s the No. 1 issue my office has been getting calls about.”

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Complaints about noisy vehicles have skyrocketed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reports tracked by the city and responded to by EPS included in the staff report show a nearly seven-fold increase in complaints in 2021 over two years — to 1,028 from 150 in 2019. In one example, complaints to the city about motorcycle noise climbed to 101 last year while there were just 12 in 2019.

Not being able to sleep, increased stress, gathering in parking lots after hours, and drivers revving engines were some common themes of residents’ complaints.

In 2020, the city piloted automated noise enforcement. EPS began Project Tensor to tackle an increase in traffic safety and vehicle noise complaints the same year.

This increased enforcement led to a steep jump in fines handed out related to noisy vehicles — city peace officers issued 708 tickets in 2021 compared to 138 tickets the year prior, and just 72 tickets in 2019.

Cheryl Sheppard, spokesperson for EPS, said in an email the police and city peace officers are targetting hotspots this summer including Whyte Avenue, the 97 Avenue underpass near the Alberta legislature and High Level Bridge. She also said illegal modifications that make vehicles louder can be hard to detect.

Haydn Place, a spokesperson for the province’s transportation ministry, said in an email that photo radar can’t be used for noise violations.