Article published in the Milford Journal, NH Jul 12, 2008
Noise isn't a right

There are some people who believe that because Milford police are cracking
down on loud vehicle exhausts, we are losing a basic right. To do what?
Annoy others?

There is no inherent right to make noise, there is no inherent right to
disturb people.

A reader asked if one day there might be a prohibition on loud music. There
already is. It's called "disturbing the peace."

Look, it's really very simple: You want to listen to music in your car or in
your home? Fine. Play it so you can hear it but others can't. How does that
deprive you of any right?

And as for lawn mowers, weed whackers and leaf blowers? No one is suggesting
that such things should be banned. Work is good; being annoying because you
can isn't.

There is no need for a loud vehicle exhaust or a loud radio or stereo
system. None. But when you mow your lawn, sure, there's a need to make some
temporary noise.

Milford Police Chief Fred Douglas has said that vehicle noise is a quality
of life issue and he's absolutely right. No one is interfering with anyone's
right to ride a motorcycle or drive a car or listen to music. But the police
should interfere with disturbance and noise.

Honolulu Advertiser

May 6, 2008

Noise complaints lead to sign postings

Advertiser Staff
In response to complaints about noisy car sound systems, county workers on the Big Island have erected warning signs on Banyan Drive and at the Keaukaha area beaches to remind motorists about the county's noise ordinance.

The signs read, "Warning: Violation of Noise Ordinance Strictly Enforced."
The penalty for repeat offenders who violate the noise ordinance is a fine of up to $1,000 and forfeiture of the violator's sound system.

Police intend to enforce the noise ordinance island wide.

Respect Waipio
Proliferation of ATVs, dirt bikes in the valley prompts new meeting

by Bret Yager
Tribune-Herald Staff Writer
Waipio Valley residents say it's time to get the message out: People who bring ATVs and dirt bikes illegally into the valley won't meet with a warm welcome.

People often have the mistaken perception the valley is public land, and end up treating it as a theme park, some residents say. Visitors also may be unaware that ATVs and most offroad motorcycles are not allowed on the county access road to the lush valley at the island's northeast tip, an area considered sacred to many Hawaiians.

The valley has exploded in popularity over the past few years, residents say, and so have the impacts.

"The traffic increase has been huge," said Jim Cane, a Waipio taro farmer and resident of 20 years. "Part of the problem is there really is no public property. Visitors must be respectful. It's a very powerful place; you can't just do whatever you want and run amok."

However, some of the same property owners who point to ATVs and bikes tearing up streams and roadways also use ATVs in the valley. That makes some uneasy about a crackdown.

"If you have a farm, it's okay to have an ATV because sometimes that's the only way to get in," said Ku'ulei Badua, who lives near Waipio Lookout and is president of the Kuhuihale Community Association. "But a friend of mine who lives in the valley was just telling me about an ATV (visitor) going up and down the river. She told him that's where she gets her food. He could care less as long as he was having fun."

"She was so upset," Badua said. "She wants to get the word out: Waipio is not a park. People live here."

Kamehameha Schools, the major landowner in the area, has said it doesn't want the machines on its land, period, police say.




The Waipio Community Circle will host a public meeting this Saturday in Honokaa to educate the public about rules for ATVs, dirt bikes and jet skis on public roads and public areas, including the state-owned beach area and state-controlled nearshore waters. Input on activities suitable to the valley will be sought, and members of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Hawaii County Police Department will be available to answer questions.

The community has been grappling for several years with how to address the increased use while maintaining access in Waipio, Cane said. Part of that has been an education effort involving volunteer information officers stationed at the lookout, a program in place since the end of last summer.

The recent county purchase of land at the lookout was a good step toward preserving the area, Cane said. The community is also eyeing the possibility of setting up a receiving area where people have the option of learning about the valley without taking the steep road to the bottom.

"Once people realize the situation, they want to be respectful. That's part of the reason we want to educate them," Cane said.

Facilitator Susan Maddox described Saturday's meeting as an educational opportunity, rather than a response to a crisis.

"It's an opportunity to share the regulations, where the machines are usable and where it's not appropriate for those activities," Maddox said. "We hope those who use dirt bikes and go into the valley with jet skis will be part of that meeting too."

Police have warned residents that the ban on ATVs on the access road applies to them as well.

"We're warning everyone that ATVs are not allowed on public roadways," said Shane Muramaru, the community policing officer for the area.

Muramaru said the prosecutor's office had indicated there may be an exception for ATVs being used as farm vehicles.

"That all depends on what it is being used for, where it is going to and from," Muramaru said. "It's on a case by case basis. But if you're going down there blind, going on the beach, you may get cited."

The Waipio issues point to a larger problem the island is experiencing as it grows, Cane said. Access is becoming increasingly restricted; at the same time, more users are lining up to recreate on the land that's left.

The idea of limiting access to the valley has been floating around for some time, but it's a fine line balancing restrictions with the sense of openness and aloha that many would like to preserve, Cane said.

"You can't just cut off the access," he said. "Some people feel like, hey, this is Waipio; the party is over. I don't see that happening myself, but we have to place some limits on access. The community doesn't want to say don't come to Waipio, but you have to be respectful. It's a fragile place."

Muramaru said that perhaps the island needs some more ATV-friendly recreation areas.

"ATVs are wonderful things. I own one, but I don't go driving it in someone else's yard," Muramaru said.

Attempts to contact several Big Island ATV enthusiasts for comment were unsuccessful.

The community meeting will be held Sat., March 15 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the North Hawaii Education and Research Center at 45-539 Plumeria Street in Honokaa.

Bret Yager can be reached at byager@hawaiitribune-herald.com.

Check this from Florida

ST. PETERSBURG - The latest attempt to reduce noise levels does not involve
a new ordinance, stiffer penalties, or a big enforcement action. It is a
polite request to the owners of cars with loud music systems to turn the
volume down.

"People may not be aware that the radio is a little bit loud and disturbing
some of their neighbors," explained Susie Ajoc of St. Petersburg
Neighborhood Services.

Noise Free Florida's Judy Ellis imported the idea from other cities. She
claims a lot of violators turn down the volume once they realize somebody is
watching them.

"Someone took the time to write to down their tag. Somebody in the police
department took the time to write them a letter," she said.

Ellis is also president of a neighborhood association providing the
grassroots component of this experiment. It is making post cards available
to residents who can jot down tag numbers and send them into the city. Then
the police department sends the vehicle's owner a letter.

Ajoc says 1,000 cards have been printed. The city wants to see how many of
those cards citizens send in and how many of them involve repeat offenders.
Video

Noise Pollution is a Thief

It sneaks across property lines.

It invades your personal space.

It steals your most precious commodity: time.

It then sneaks away with no trace, except for the physical and psychological imprint on the victim.

Even the wilds of Alaska are not immune to the ravages of uncontrolled ATV use.

In his book, Alaska, Promises to Keep, Robert Weeden wrote, “Alaska’s special
vulnerability to damage to all-terrain vehicles is well known. … The
implications of high vulnerability and slow recovery of vegetation are especially important in wild areas. Wilderness is a valuable land characteristic, and it is becoming more valuable yearly. The cost of destroying or damaging wilderness, however hard it may be to calculate, is increasing. It is highest where the degree of change is greatest and where recovery times are longest. Public-land-use policies have not yet reflected the values of wildness fully even in designated wilderness areas, and scarcely at all in undesignated areas that are wild simply because they have been left alone.” (Weeden, 1978).


Link to full PDF

Hawaii Noise Bill Passes Out of Committee

Thanks to all who may have submitted comment on this bill. It goes to the Judiciary Committee next.

2/12/08 HB3001: The committees on EEP recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 6 Ayes: Representative(s) Morita, Carroll, Ito, Karamatsu, Magaoay, Saiki; Ayes with reservations: none; 1 Noes: Representative(s) Thielen; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Sagum.