Though this book emphasizes the noises of machines, there is also the important category of people-made noises, noises that could be eliminated by the exercise of personal discretion.
Assuming that the motorcycle as manufactured was designed for quiet operation, the motorcyclist could control the amount of noise his vehicle emits by accelerating slowly, refraining from revving his motor while idling, not removing or de-activating his muffler. Motorcycle trade associations, sensitive to anti-motorcycle sentiment and fearful of restrictive legislation, caution their customers to be good neighbors. In a booklet given to purchasers, they urge the cyclist not to remove the internal baffles of his muffler, add cut-outs, replace quality mufflers with cheap ones, or, worse yet, with "Hollywood type" megaphone mufflers. As an incentive not to tamper with the muffler, the Motorcycle, Scooter and Allied Trades Association cautions cyclists that the excessive noise generated by "adjusted" mufflers may actually reduce the performance of the engine, increase engine temperature, burn out valves, and create other conditions that will impair or destroy the efficiency of the power plant.
All manufacturers of radios and other volume-controlled noise emitters should provide some means of urging volume reduction, especially at night. The use of portable radios in public places can be controlled by local ordinance. In France the prefects of the individual departments were given this instruction: "...transistorized apparatus may only be used in public with their loud speakers turned off (use earphones only)." In England and Wales no one may use a radio in public so as to cause annoyance, and radios are specifically prohibited in London's Hyde Park. Local buses in Washington, D.C. ban radios.
People can eliminate many noise problems by proper behavior. Housewives using noisy appliances can stop during meal hours, and certainly avoid mechanical cleaning during hours of sleep. Pianists can install damping devices on their instruments so that their practicing does not convert adjacent apartments into concert halls. An attempt can be made to restrict the noisy play of children to non-sensitive locations. Dogs can be trained not to bark, and parents can implant in their children a good example of acoustic manners by driving without excessive use of the auto horn.
People are all too frequently unaware of how their noisemaking activities impinge on their neighbors. Requests for quiet are interpreted as personal attacks, and raise hackles. There is growing interest in the Swedish concept of a third-party intermediary, the ombudsman, an official who can function as the citizen's advisor, and champion his grievances against the injustices of government, or help him if he finds he must take his neighbors to court.
At the same time that man's seeming obsession with speed and convenience have generated the noisiest epoch in his history, his intelligence has produced the means of enjoying the fruits of technology without suffering from its acoustic waste products. What is needed is a widespread concern for protecting the human being and his environment from excessive noise. Were there such concern the making of noisy products would soon become illegal. Will anybody care?