City Council Takes on Car Alarms

After the Mayor announced possible changes to the noise code, the City Council has decided to attempt banning car alarms. The issue was debated, but the City Council did not come to a consensus. A bill would "prohibit the sale and installation of audible car alarms in the city," while there are thoughts to ask the Legislature to okay insurance discounts for silent alarms. There's a lot of other political hoo-ha about whether or not banning car alarms and what kinds of alarms should be okay. Gothamist barely remembers how to drive, but we do know that we hate car alarms.

The City Council apparently made fun of the mayor for being opposed to banning car alarms (though he might change his mind) while he wants to ban Mr. Softee music. Councilman Peter Vallone gives his thoughts on Mister Softee, who is at the center of one of the noise code's bans, "Mister Softee music is occasionally mildly annoying, while car alarms are mind-numbing, life-altering devices." Word up.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on June 11, 2004 12:05 PM

Comments [rss]

Sacha

Simon is right. The loud beeping sound made by kneeling city buses has to change. The newer flexible-extended buses that do the cross-town routes in Manhattan make a much softer beeping sound. Unfortunately, the also-new hybrid electric buses make the loud beeping sound.

The loud beeping sound seems to be totally unnecessary. Only people _inside_ the bus standing near the door need to be warned that the bus is kneeling- they are the ones who could lose their footing as the bus changes elevation. The fact that the bus is kneeling is of no concern to anybody else.

Kevin Walsh

Sirens, cabbie honkers, cell phone users on LIRR trains, fingernail clippers and gum smackers.

Ban 'em all, ban 'em all to hell.

www.forgotten-ny.com

handsome_b_wonderful

Do you think that we could ban motorcycles in Manhattan while we're at it? Every time some jagoff roars by me on one, I kind of wish it would blow up.

Jason

No, she has a good point about the city government meddling too much into people's affairs. After all Manhattan isn't Levittown.

Simon

Regina is completely insane.

pk

what about the straight-thru piped harleys and their window-pane rattleing rumble?

K. Thor Jensen

Oh man, banning car alarms would be suh-weeeeet as premium wine. My block is infested with muffler-free Greek racerboys who drag up & down the block 'til 2AM, and then retire to their beds as their alarms keep up a steady ruckus all night. Can we just ban private ownership of cars, actually?

DS

Yeah, and while we're at it, why do school buses have those annoying stop signs that stop all traffic whenever they're picking up or dropping off kids? That's so annoying! What happened, were kids getting killed by other drivers who didn't realize kids might be emerging from around the front of the bus? Oh, wait a second..

simon

safety my ass.

Tobias

To Simon: Sorry to say, the beeping sound of trucks (and buses and construction equipment) driving in reverse is there for everyone's safety. That one should stay right where it is.

Glenn

Ten of 15 years ago, people would actually rush out of their homes if they heard an alarm they thought was their own. A person running out to check his/her car barefoot or shirtless, or at least sticking a head out the window, was a common sight.

These days, car alarms boom, beep, honk and reverberate across neighborhoods and the owners are nowhere in sight. And since nobody is there to turn off the alarm, it won't stop until it has run through its often lengthy programmed loop. (You know you've heard too many alarms when you can practically sing along to every note of your neighbors' alarms.)

Please ban car alarms. They're no longer deter theft. They simply annoy.

Simon

BAN THEM RIGHT NOW!!! FINE THOSE WHO ALREADY AHVE THEM!!!

I also hate the backing up beeping alarms on schoolbuses and trucks, and the loud beeping the kneeling buses make.