Comments on: City Approves New Noise Laws

By: SEW

SEW — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 16:41:09 +0000

Why is it that religious services are exempt? I live just don from a large church and they tend to make quite a racket at times. Then again, the mayor probably had someone add that exemption!

By: anonymous for a reason

anonymous for a reason — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 15:11:12 +0000

Something to keep in mind for all Richmond City residents- in regard to the City Stadium development debate, the FanHouse controversy, and other matters-

There are no noise or disturbing the peace ordinances in effect since December.
If the police do come and ask a house/business to turn down their noise, and they fail to do so, the police can come back and issue a summons for ‘failure to act’, but I strongly question how many police will bother.

Residents are not receiving satisfactory answers on this issue from City Council or the Mayor’s office and with the warmer weather coming its going to be a bigger issue. I know many residents (mainly young families) in my neighborhood are fleeing the City.

Frankly, the feeling is that the government has failed and abandoned us.

I suggest that local officials concentrate on keeping longtime, loyal homeowners/taxpayers first, bringing in more students, tourists, developers second. It is, after all, their duty.

By: C'est Moi

C'est Moi — Sun, 09 May 2010 07:25:43 +0000

dang — we gonna have to shoot a lot of birds to get this ‘hood to specs !!!

By: Neighbor2

Neighbor2 — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:44:18 +0000

Stephanie – AH! You are my neighbor! Keep it down please, I work at night.

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 04:55:05 +0000

I am a singer and I practice in my home every day, usually when my neighbors are at work. Is the city going to pay for me to rent a sound proof practice space or install sound-absorbing material on my walls? Is it fair to let someone else work from home while I can’t?

By: Magpie

Magpie — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 02:56:45 +0000

We’re gonna need a bigger jail.

By: John m

John m — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 02:28:46 +0000

I asked my drunken saxaphone playing neighbor to please be more considerate and he basically threatened to shoot me.

By: Erik Bonkovsky

Erik Bonkovsky — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:15:44 +0000

@Doug, I agree with you overall. But I have actually asked my neighbors to be quieter (after midnight when my children are trying to sleep) with essentially no change in noise/behavior. I’m genuinely interested in knowing what to do then? Does his right to ‘noise’ supersede my right to sleep? Is it just a reality of life in the city as other commenters suggest?

By: Doug

Doug — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 23:45:28 +0000

I wonder how many of these people that have problems with their neighbors being loud have actually asked their neighbors to be more quiet. Our society has gotten a little too passive aggressive.

By: Dan

Dan — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 20:35:31 +0000

It’s crazy that this is a misdemeanor. Can you imagine sending a first-time offender to jail for taking out the trash too loudly??? Nuts. This could all be solved by making legal to retaliate against neighbors who are rude — TP-ing their house, “forking” their yard, etc. Message would be delivered without crazy laws that won’t be consistently enforced (read: I bet loud bluegrass music won’t be punished, but if you are a fan of Akon….)

It also seems that this might be unconstitutionally vague. Can you imagine the cops trying to determine whether they can hear your TV 50 feet away or whether your car is audible from 350 feet? I’ll help out pro-bono if someone gets standing to challenge this.

By: John m

John m — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:18:34 +0000

I wish that we’d had a working noise ordinance last year:

I had a neighbor across the alley last summer that was “learning” how to play the saxaphone. He’d start drinking and playing just after noon and go until past midnight. He’d set up a boombox and play along to a loop of the same 2 or 3 songs. He was clearly audible inside every room of our house. He did this almost daily for 2 months, and then thankfully moved. It was an awful experience.

By: are you serious

are you serious — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 06:19:38 +0000

sh*t sandwich

By: Dan

Dan — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 21:55:28 +0000

Draconian.

By: Alfonso

Alfonso — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 21:37:25 +0000

I think if someone followed each of the city council members, they would find at least one of them in violation of this ordinance at least once in the next year. Sometimes noise happens.

By: paul_h

paul_h — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:35:45 +0000

I’d like to hear some noise nightmare stories. Mine only involve earsplitting fire and police sirens that run past my apartment 5 or 10 times a night.

By: Alfonso

Alfonso — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:30:36 +0000

A Misdemeanor? Really. You are going to make people who make to much noise criminals with rap sheets? Couldn’t they just charge a civil penalty?

By: Alfonso

Alfonso — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:28:43 +0000

These laws are ridiculous. 6 months in jail for taking the trash out loudly?

C’mon! This is so not necessary. Watch out for the Noise Police!

By: Jessamyn

Jessamyn — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:37:01 +0000

I think noise control is one way to make urban cores more livable, no? Do we really want to drive everyone to the ‘burbs?

By: Erik Bonkovsky

Erik Bonkovsky — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:29:29 +0000

Is ‘lots of noise’ really in the ordinance? Or is that just the summary. Because I don’t really see how ‘lots of noise’ improves on ‘excessive noise.’

By: bopst

bopst — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:02:18 +0000

If you don’t like noise, move out of the city. These new laws are mildly stupid…