June 03, 2005

The reason why some motorcyclists remove mufflers and other silencing equipment from their bikes is because they want to draw attention to themselves.

This week they got their wish, but not in the way they had hoped. Police rounded up many of them in the start of a 90-day campaign to reduce unnecessary noise.

The campaign guidelines allow a maximum of 85 decibels for cars and 95db for motorcycles. This already allows motorbikes to be legally 10 times as loud as motor vehicles on the logarithmic scale and yet many still exceed this.

Discos and nightclubs are restricted to a peak maximum of 90db for dance music which most people would find more pleasant than the racket made by a high-revving motorbike, especially one with a yowling two-stroke engine.

As there are an estimated 2.5 million motorcycles on the streets of the capital, and noise pollution has become a huge problem in inner city areas, such as Yaowarat, the traffic police, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and Pollution Control Department have made them a priority target in their battle to turn down Bangkok's volume.

Thirty-one checkpoints began operating on Wednesday and setting their sights on the 14% of motorcycles in the capital believed to be violating the 95db limit. Offenders face fines of 500 baht under the 1992 Land Traffic Act, and being banned from using their bikes for 30 days under the 1992 National Environment Act.

If they have not solved the problem in that time, they will be ordered off the road until they have complied with the regulations.

This is one of the more positive actions planned in the run-up to World Environment Day tomorrow. It is also one crackdown that is bound to be popular, especially if it becomes the springboard for other anti-noise campaigns. That is because the average noise level in Bangkok is about 80 decibels, which greatly exceeds the acceptable level of 70 decibels, a factor which explains why noise pollution problems last year topped the list of complaints filed by city residents with the BMA.

Not all motorcycles are noisy, nor are all owners irresponsible, so the blame must be shared and remedial action made wide-ranging in nature. As the director of the Urbanisation and Environment Programme at the Thai Environment Institute put it: ``Blatant noise represents aggression and can be viewed as another form of violence committed against other human beings.'' This puts the constant noise all around us in perspective and reminds us that we may gradually be going deaf without realising it. Apart from permanent hearing loss, Bangkok's daily din can cause lack of sleep, irritability, heartburn, indigestion, ulcers, high blood pressure, and possibly heart disease. In addition, noise-induced stress creates severe tension in daily living and contributes to mental illness.

The Pollution Control Department knows that noise pollution in Bangkok is getting more severe. For instance, in 2003, the average noise level on 24 city streets was close to 80db. In 2000, this high level was measured on only four major streets. Clearly municipal noise codes are needed to govern our daily lives but they will only be as effective as the people in charge of enforcing them. Past experience has provided few grounds for optimism. Construction sites all over the city contribute to the general racket. Pile drivers, unmuffled pneumatic drills and other high-rise irresponsibility disturb the peace at night and throughout the day.

Taming Bangkok's roar will not be easy. Those who hoped the soaring price of petrol and diesel fuel would cut back on the number of non-essential trips and have a natural calming effect have yet to see positive results. Charging fees to enter congested parts of the central business district, as has been done in Singapore, Stockholm, Oslo and London, would help and should be considered. It might not be politically expedient, but there are no simple solutions which are.

From Bangkok Post

Posted by 4HL on June 3, 2005 04:17 PM