The Tyranny of Noise

Robert Alex Baron

Part IV — Chapter 10 — It's Up To All Of Us

In any tyranny—and that of noise is no different—the problem is to keep alive the flicker of hope. This can be done by making noise visible. One technique is to develop your own set of "noise games." For example, play Community Noise Protection Index. Make up a list of the ideal elements you would like in a noise ordinance. Research your local, state, and Federal laws. Then prepare the score card:

Ordinance, Regulation, or Law

Noise Source None Meaningful Not Meaningful Enforced Not Enforced

TRANSPORTATION
  Surface
  Decibel limits
  Horn use
  Tire treads
  Emergency vehicle sirens

  Air
  Heliports
  STOLports
  Jetports
  Aerial corridors

MOBILE FACTORIES
  Garbage trucks
  Fuel and other "accessory function" trucks

BUILDING CODE
  Insulation standards
  Noise isolation by design

CONSTRUCTION
  Hours of operation
  Equipment silencing
  Decibel limit at property line

BARS, NIGHTCLUBS

PLANNING
  Zoning decibel and design standards
  Traffic flow
  Residence protected from aviation

TRANSISTOR RADIOS IN PUBLIC PLACES

NOISE CONTROL ENFORCEMENT AGENCY

NOISE CONTROL LABORATORY

NOISE ABATEMENT COURSES
  High school
  College (undergraduate)
  Required for engineers

         

You may be told that cost is the reason your community does not have much in the way of enforcement. So now compute the "cost" of noise. For example, count the number of air compressor and jackhammer operators employed in your community, establish your own idea of the dollar value of the ability to hear speech, and multiply. Establish an arbitrary value for the efficiency lost because of poor sleep, and estimate how many in your community are not getting a good night's sleep because of sirens, unmuffled noises of social utility, and the like. Set a dollar value on a businessman's day, and deduct the percentage lost because of disturbed sleep, masked speech, and other distractions.

Play "shoulds." What could and should be done, and how, and by whom?