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Loud exhausts on motorcycles endanger public safety: Vallone

Loud exhausts on motorcycles endanger public safety: Vallone
By Nathan Duke

City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D−Astoria) went hog wild last week as he called on the city to crack down on excessively loud motorcycles during a Council public safety hearing.

Vallone, chairman of the Council Public Safety Committee, said he believed noisy motorcycles caused “disruptive and potentially hazardous conditions” and urged the city to impose stiff penalties on riders who attach loud exhaust systems to their bikes.

“These motorcycles can be as loud as a jet engine flying 1,000 feet over your head,” he said. “This noise disturbs residents and can distract people on the road.”

Vallone said he believes the city should also make it illegal to park a motorcycle in the five boroughs if it uses exhaust pipes without federally mandated sound dampening equipment. The Environmental Protection Agency restricts cycles from emitting more than 80 decibels, he said. But motorcycles without mufflers can reach up to 120 decibels, Vallone said.

A bill proposed by Councilman Alan Gerson (D−Manhattan) and sponsored by Vallone that would crack down on motorcycle noise was scheduled to be voted on by the Council this week, Vallone said.

He said the bill would toughen penalties against violators from current fees of several hundred dollars to as much as $5,000 for third−time offenders.

“New Yorkers will literally sleep better at night because this law is on the books,” Vallone said.

Reach reporter Nathan Duke by e−mail at [email protected] or by phone at 718−229−0300, Ext. 156.