If you live on the West Side of the city, chances are that you’ve heard plenty of cars blasting music so loud that the vehicles actually rattle. I’m sure that we’ve all had these offensive cars pull up next to us at a stop light on occasion. As you patiently wait for the light to change, you can’t help but wonder what it must sound like on the inside of the vehicle emitting the noise. Then, you either speed up to lose the annoyance, or you let the annoyance pass you by. If you live in a house near a traffic light, there’s nothing that you can do but wait for the light to turn green before your windows stop rattling. Unfortunately, there’s always the next obnoxiously loud car to come along.
For years people have been asking for something to be done about the cars that are audio-modified for one purpose – to blast beats aka distortion. Up until now, issuing a $75 ticket was the most that could be done to curb the prevalent nuisance. Then again, how often do police officers actually act on this city-wide quality of life issue? If tickets were issued, we would have seen a drop in offenses. Then again, if you’re a perpetrator all you have to do is hit the ‘kill switch’ when an office approaches. I’ve talked to people who live near Porter Avenue who are convinced that the only way to solve the problem is to use undercover patrol cars in a sting. That along with increasing the penalties so that the offenders can’t afford to be caught.
Today Common Council President and Fillmore District Council Member, David Franczyk, is announcing a law that he hopes will curb the deafening sound issue once and for all. He is proposing a law that would allow police to confiscate and impound car stereo systems that are designed to violate the city noise ordinance. Essentially that would mean that the violating car could be stripped down to the frame, considering that the cars in question may as well be considered rolling boom boxes. Now if only this law would actually be enforced, we would really be onto something. I bet that if a few cars were made examples of, word would travel quickly throughout the city.
On a side note, while poking around online, I also learned that a $50 fine can be issued for keeping upholstered furniture outside on non-enclosed porches… that might come in handy in the future!