The pleasure of a patio meal can quickly fade when excessive noise from passing motorcycles drowns out conversation.
It’s a familiar frustration in Peachland, especially during the busy summer months. At its May 20 meeting, Peachland council raised the issue with visiting RCMP officers, asking if anything could be done to quiet things down.
“You would need extreme dedication (to enforcement) over the summer,” said Cpl. Tyrone Wilton of the West Kelowna RCMP. “It would be the same in West Kelowna, Kelowna, and the same on Lake Avenue in Penticton.”
The Okanagan tends to draw a large number of motorcycles and exotic cars in the summer, he added.
One method of enforcement involves using a decibel meter, but there are challenges. While the Kelowna detachment has a trained officer equipped with one, that resource isn’t available to Peachland.
Wilton also noted that the courts do not recognize decibel meters.
“I just learned that—it’s currently in limbo,” he said.
Wilton added that a regular member could make a personal observation if a vehicle is making excessive noise.
“However, the onus is on the police officer to prove in court they were over the decibel limit,” he said.
He emphasized that the goal isn’t to necessarily punish drivers, but to encourage better behaviour.
“I can’t stand a loud muffler any more than you guys,” he told council. “But sometimes just having a conversation with that person and issuing them a warning, or having them get their vehicle inspected… is sometimes more damaging than a ticket.”
He told council that while Motor Vehicle Act regulations set a specific decibel level for vehicles, the majority of motorcycles produced currently exceed that threshold.
“So they’re coming off the line already above,” he added.
Wilton added officers will issue tickets when the noise is “grossly and obviously” excessive.
