The City of Edmonton has turned off all four of its LCD noise displays being used as part of a pilot project to measure how loud vehicles are.
Residents complained about motorists stunting in front of the signs and creating a lot of noise, “which was quite bothersome to people living nearby,” said Gary Dyck, with the office of traffic safety.
While the displays have been turned off, they’re still collecting data, Dyck said.
The signs used to indicate if a vehicle was too loud for the community standards — a maximum 85 dBA (decibels).
The displays are located at 124 Street and 109 Avenue, Victoria Park Road, 99 Street and 77 Avenue, and Fort Road and 130 Avenue.
Cameras are also part of the 2018 pilot. They’re located on Jasper Avenue from 109 Street to 124 Street, 114 Street south from 82 Avenue and into Belgravia, Groat Road, 137 Avenue between 97 Street and 127 Street.
READ MORE: Edmonton has photo radar-like device to measure noisy vehicles
Tickets are not yet being mailed out to offenders. After the testing period, there will eventually be enforcement, but an exact timeline is not yet known.
“If the testing meets all the technical requirements and the concept is approved, enforcement could still be a long way off,” Dyck said.
Results of the pilot project will be presented to city councillors in November.
City Council would need to approve the necessary bylaw before tickets can be issued, Dyck said. There will likely be some provincial requirements too. Then the city would need to purchase equipment and set up the program.
READ MORE: City of Edmonton looks to tackle excessive vehicle noise: ‘I think it’s long overdue’
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In April, Coun. Andrew Knack said the number of loud vehicle complaints had recently plateaued but had risen dramatically since 2013.
“I think it’s long overdue [to look at this issue],” Knack said at the time.
READ MORE: Vehicle noise monitors that encourage more noise ‘reason to discontinue pilot’: Edmonton mayor
In fact, once the pilot launched and the LCD displays were turned on, some Edmonton residents noticed drivers revving their engines near the decibel signs.
Nadine Callihoo-Hansen, who lives on a side street off Fort Road at 132 Avenue, reached her breaking point last week. She heard quite the ruckus and saw three vehicles parked in the Trail Tire parking lot on Sunday night.
Yelling across Fort Road at the trio trying to score a personal best didn’t help.
“They yelled back at us: ‘Call your city official!’ They want us to call and complain,” she told Global News.
WATCH: Bob Layton Editorial: Breaking the Sound Barrier
READ MORE: Edmonton monitoring vehicle noise as part of pilot project
That might be enough for Mayor Don Iveson.
“I know some folks have asked the question: ‘Are we actually encouraging people to make more noise by these?’ If that’s the case, ultimately that would be a reason to discontinue the pilot, in my view.”
WATCH: The city is looking into ways it could crack down on those disturbing the peace. One option, just like photo radar, is a sound trap. Kendra Slugoski explains.
— With files from Scott Johnston
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