There are red light cameras in Guelph. Speed enforcement cameras are coming to school zones this fall. Could noise cameras complete the trifecta, in an effort to deal with excessively noisy vehicles on Guelph streets?
A number of delegates spoke to the topic at Thursday's police board meeting, calling on police to change its strategy because they say the status quo is doomed to fail.
The delegates all agreed excessive noise from vehicles is a growing problem in the city.
"I've been living in this city for over 20 years, and I think this a continually worsening issue," said Luke Weiler from his law office near Downtown Guelph.
"The fact that there are multiple delegations just speaks to what a serious and growing problem it is."
He feels there is more every year, and getting louder to boot.
"They're infiltrating all of the city, all the time," he said. "They're going up and down our arterials, they go through the downtown, day and night, both. I would say this has gotten to the point where the noise is no longer an unusual noise, but it's actually ubiquitous in the city."
Duncan MacKenzie, a resident on Norfolk Street, brought up how he delegated at city council over a decade ago, when the most recent noise bylaw was passed.
He said since then, the problem has gotten worse, and he doesn't believe police is doing anything about it.
"Every day, these traffic police could be pulling over loud vehicles somewhere in our community," he said. "There's no possible way you could go through an entire shift not encountering a loud vehicle going by."
"This problem is out of control," added Donna Jennison, the second delegate to speak Thursday.
She noted the issues go beyond being a nuissance, it's also a health issue.
"Excessive noise is on the rise," she told the board. "Studies have shown that noise levels double or triple every 30 years, and are one of the top two environmental hazards to both physical and mental health and wellbeing, second only to air pollution."
Jennison said excessive noise interferes with daily activities across the board, from sleep, performance and provokes anger, irritability and hostility.
Over time, she added, having more exposure can even lead to an increase in risk to heart disease, heart attacks and stroke.
"Residents in cities around the world are desperately seeking solutions, and Guelph is no exception," she said. "Sitting for just 10 minutes at any busy intersection, or near a high school during rush hour, over the lunch hour, on a nice Sunday afternoon or a warm summer evening, one will be exposed to multiple noisy vehicles, whose drivers are breaking the law, making their way, getting their thrill with carefree abandon, at our expense."
One of the solutions, Jennison said, was discussed by a group of residents, who are working with city council, city bylaw, Guelph police and others in and out of the city to develop strategies and take action.
The noise camera uses microphones and a video camera. It starts recording when noisy vehicles come by when they're excessively loud, and the camera captures the offending vehicle on camera.
Jennison said it is being piloted in various cities, including New York City, where first-time offenders face a $1,000 fine.
Weiler agreed with the idea, which is also being piloted in places like Edmonton, the UK and France, believing it would make a serious difference.
"The city does not have a complicated street network," he said. "It's not like there's a million places for cars to go. There's only so many arterials, and so many major intersections."
He said good candidate areas to run the noise cameras include Edinburgh and Paisley, Woodlawn and Victoria and Downtown Guelph.
"You put those up, you will catch these drivers, you will get this problem under control," he said.
"We are talking about a very small number of bad actors, but this is a growing problem, and it's a problem that's entirely out of scale to the number of offenders. I think there's every reason to believe it's going to continue to get worse, unless a serious and effective plan is developed."
Weiler said he knows police also believe it's a problem, acknowledging noise blitzes taking place over the past couple years.
The issue is the solution in place right now, which is a complaints-based system, is "certain to fail."
"There's no easy way to report vehicles," he said. "If you call the police switchboard, you'll get one of several different answers, depending on who you speak with. Sometimes, you're referred to a specific officer and told to call their extension and leave a message. Other times, you're told to go to the website, file a report.
"Depending on who you talk to, you get different information about what kind of report you have to file."
He added some operators admit they don't know how the process works, and the online process itself can be a nightmare, from the amount of personal information needed, to it not being usable on a mobile phone.
With all that, Weiler said in some cases, people get a call acknowledging the report but that's it.
"I get it. I understand police only have so many resources, they have to prioritize what they're spending the resources on," he said. "Some people might say to you this is not important, this is more like littering than something that actually hurts people. That's not correct."
MacKenzie said after 11 years, enough is enough.
"It's been 11 years since this bylaw was passed, and these vehicles are still roaring around, we're still having to endure," he said. "And to me, it's not a 'boys will be boys, oh well, who cares' (situation). Something needs to be done about this."
Chief Gord Cobey requested a report be brought to the board next month, based on the concerns raised, looking at initiatives done in the last few years and possibilities for the future.
"Obviously, we do our very best, given our existing resources to manage a variety of concerns throughout the city," he said.
As for the noise cameras, Mayor Cam Guthrie said it would fall on the city to pay for and install, and committed to exploring the option further.
