Taxi TV is ear-shattering enough but at least there's an easily accessible "off" button. Sometimes, however, your driver may provide the entertainment. As part of the Taxicab Rider Bill of Rights, passengers have a right to control the volume of music—it states you have the right to "a noise free trip: no horn honking or radio." But, you know, it happens... and sometimes (like when alcohol is involved, mostly) it can even be sort of fun to whip through the city streets with a stranger behind the wheel while the music is turned up to 11. But not all the time. One man took this below video from the back seat of a cab this week to document the volume of the music the cab driver was playing—turns out you can go past 11 on the volume control!
Cab Driver Etiquette: When The Music Is TOO LOUD
NYC Is Too Loud, Complain Residents Of Loud Neighborhood
The folks living around the Muse Hotel on 46th Street are up in arms about the doorman and his blasted whistling, hailing cabs for hotel guests and absolutely ruining the peace and quiet everyone has become accustomed to in midtown Manhattan. It's even driving some residents to nonsensical hyperbole! "It’s just very obnoxious, very loud and very persistent," Leah Nelson, the prop master at the Lyceum Theater told the Times. "It’s like Chinese water torture."
Cops Want to Shut Down Loud Parties Early
The NYPD is getting an early start cracking down on this summer's loudest parties, reports the Post. Canarsie's 69th precinct has already sent out emails to residents, asking them to report any "flyers for house parties or backyard parties in our neighborhood." The email is part of a larger initiative of cops trying to narrow in on drug use and stolen cars.
NYPD Installing More "Rumbler" Super Sirens
After a successful pilot program, the NYPD is adding a new siren called The Rumbler to over 150 patrol cars; this bad boy blasts a palpable sound wave that can be felt up to 200 feet away. According to The Rumbler's manufacturer [pdf], the siren has "the distinct advantage of penetrating and shaking solid materials, allowing vehicle operators and nearby pedestrians to FEEL the sound waves and perhaps even see their effects through a shaking rearview mirror." The company also warns that the siren and speakers "may cause hearing damage," and those who use it are encouraged to wear ear protection.
Good Burn: Jury Finds Spin Class Vigilante Not Guilty
The six person jury in the trial of Christopher Carter – the stockbroker accused of assaulting an overly vocal spin classmate at Equinox gym – found him not guilty yesterday of a misdemeanor assault charge which could have landed him in jail for a year. Though the victim, hedge fund manager Stuart Sugarman, spent almost two weeks in the hospital undergoing surgery for a herniated disc, the jury remained unconvinced that his injuries resulted from the incident.
Spin Class Trial Highlights Obnoxious Gym Behavior
The case of the spin class smackdown has been sparking a lot of debate about proper workout etiquette. According to the Times, the noisy behavior of Stuart Sugarman – who was thrown against the wall during a spin class by a guy who was fed up with his vocalizations – is not at all abnormal. There are too many people grunting, cursing, and hollering “Let’s do it!” in gyms all over town, and also plenty of people who’d like to shut them up with brute force.
Spin Class Assault Trial Gets Rolling
It was about nine months ago that New Yorkers were thrilled by the story of the spin class smackdown; now the case has gone to trial, and reading the testimony is like watching a montage of the all the greatest moments. For those of you just joining us, the incident was sparked at an Upper East Side gym when 44-year-old broker Christopher Carter became enraged at the grunting and bellowing from his spin classmate two bikes down, 48-year-old hedge fund manager Stuart Sugarman.
Volume of Noise Complaints Goes Way Up
The rowdy drunken yahoos stumbling out of nightclubs on the Lower East Side and East Village have some residents nostalgic for the old days of pre-gentrified lawlessness. 47-year-old Frances Ayers, who lives at Rivington and Ludlow streets, tells the Post, "At least with the drug dealers there wasn't any noise." Since July 2007, when the city’s stricter noise code went into effect, complaints recorded by local community boards have boomed.

