City committee passes motion to investigate how best to deal with noisy vehicles in Edmonton – Edmonton

A city committee has called on the administration to look more closely at what options might work best to deal with Edmonton drivers with vehicles that cause excessive noise.

count. Michael Janz, who has called for more action to address the problem, said it “should have taken a long time” to do a little more about the problem.

“Citizens are outraged. Citizens are frustrated,” he said Monday, noting that he believes many of his colleagues at City Hall agree that “dramatic action must be taken against the vehicles.”

“The question is what should the fines be? What scope do we have for enforcement? But everyone is tired of this. There is broad recognition that this has to stop.”

READ MORE: ‘Excessive speeding and obnoxious noise’: Edmonton police crack down on roads

The motion passed Monday by the community and public services committee calls on the administration to prepare a report for the committee “with options and an implementation plan” for “improved vehicle noise enforcement.”

The motion says the options must include fines, budget requirements, potential financing options and an enhanced deployment plan beginning in early 2023.

The motion also recommends the City Council that Mayor Amarjeet Sohi on behalf of the City Council lobby the province to make changes to the Road Safety Act to allow municipalities to “ban vehicle modifications that cause excessive driving noise and explore tools to promote the sale of said products.” .”

It also recommends to the city council that Sohi calls for the law to be amended so that peace officers can seize vehicles that are traveling more than 50 km/h faster than the speed limit.

Janz said the vehicle noise issue isn’t just a “Whyte Avenue problem,” noting that concerns are being raised by people across the city.

“Everyone is tired of this,” he said, adding that some vehicle modifications result in loud noises that some Edmontonians mistake for gunshots. “There is widespread recognition that this must stop.

“Edmontonians demand action.”

While Edmonton already has statutes that allow fines to be issued for excessive vehicle noise, Janz has said he believes the penalties may need to be stricter and more enforcement is needed.

“We need to deter this antisocial behavior,” he said.

–With files from Breanna Karstens-Smith, Global News