SHHHHH.......

New York’s new “Noise Code” quietly takes effect starting today.

I am sitting in the apartment with the windows open and oooops, there goes a car alarm loudly blasting off. But wait, it is quickly shut off. Once again except for the music of Van Buuren from my iTunes, I only hear the whiz of speeding cars along the avenue and the laughter of children from the swingset in the playground across from me. And the tweeting of birds. What happened to Mr. Softee? No ice cream trucks on this Sunday summer afternoon? No Jennifer Lopez screaming “Let’s Get Loud” emanating from the car parked downstairs?

The city’s Noise Code hasn’t been updated for 30 years and so the mayor’s initiative is much appreciated by the near-deaf city dweller. Nevermind that we walk around oblivious to the world and immersed in our iPods. It is our choice of listening genre that we are basking on. Not someone else’s chacha music or karaoke.

Of course, when you live in the city you learn to deal with it and yes, I can sleep through the activity that a car crashing into the building next to mine can create. Firetrucks and police cars and news trailers were parked downstairs they said. I only saw it on the news the next morning of course, and what remained of the commotion when I stepped out of the building to go to work. It did not bother me that weeks prior to that, I didn’t wake when firemen barged into one of the apartments in the building because the fire alarm had been set off and no one was home. My landlord was concerned. I shrugged it off, pleased that I had my eight hours of rest.

With the new law, ice cream trucks are required to turn off their music when they park on the curb (that usually means downstairs from me and right in front of my window). Dogs cannot bark more than 10 minutes (explain that to Fido!!!). Nightclubs and bars will limit their music to a certain decibel. Construction areas will have to make their equipment quitter (soundproof those jackhammers!). Garbage trucks will have to stay away from residential areas between 11PM and 7AM (the one in my area used to come by at 5AM Mondays and Fridays). Those loud mufflers from vehicles and motorcycles are also banned. Stereo music/TV noise from apartments should not be heard more than 25 feet and your iPod tunes should not be audible to someone 5 feet away. A sigh of relief.

There are however some noises that will persist – what they call regular city noise. Conversations from people passing by, the subway, the buzz of the hydraulics of a bus kneeling to pick up disabled passengers (a bus stop in front of my building) and sirens from fire trucks, police cars and ambulances.

But a little bit goes a long way, I guess. Living in the city has its pros and cons and if the minimized urban noise still ticks you off the wrong way you always have the option to walk away. So either you move to a retirement community in Florida or take the long road to the suburbs.

Mailbag:

1July07
Hello,
Came upon your post today on the new NYC noise code. Interesting point of view.

Sincerely,Todd A. Hamo
Chapter Member, Noise Free America
At www.noisefree.org