The Tyranny of Noise

Robert Alex Baron

Part IV — Chapter 8 — Potential For Control

Administrative regulations and licensing are not the only means available to government for achieving quiet. Government agencies can specify quiet design when purchasing traditionally noisy machines and equipment. This is what New York City did to some degree when it was replacing its fleet of garbage trucks. If a silent submarine can be ordered to "tuned" frequency specifications, so can garbage trucks, air compressors, and jackhammers. Municipal governments will need to learn how to cooperate with vendors to achieve design goals.

The public will have to insist that a rigid bidding system in government does not stifle noise abatement. The manufacturer of the quieter products should be rewarded with a purchase order.