Oak Meadows Civic Club

Noise Pollution

An e-mail from a concerned resident

The following is an excerpt from an e-mail I recently received from one of our residents:

"One of the most annoying and disturbing issue happening right now in our neighborhood is the loud boom vibrations coming from cars driving up and down the street at all hours of the day and night. It is simply disrespecting all the folks in the neighborhood...I am at a loss as to how these children failed to learn the proper respect for their neighbors. Where were the parents? My question is what can be done to stop this destructive behavior. These cars set off many of the car alarms, which then makes the dogs bark and disturbs everyone. It is just very frustrating and I really would like to know what we can do about it."

What can be done?

As upsetting as this may be, be precautions when taking measures into your own hands.

* Do not approach or attempt to reason with motorists in boom cars. Most of them are belligerent.

* When possible, take down their license plate number and call the police. In communities where the police pull over boom cars, often they find alcohol, drugs and sometimes weapons in the vehicle. In a few cases, drivers have outstanding warrants for their arrest.

* Talk to your neighbors and organize, chances are they are just as frustrated as you are. Most communities have some type of noise ordinance in place and you should know what they are and if they require strengthening.

* Lobby the city council or the community board in your area to increase police patrols and fines for offenders.

Let's join forces!

If we work together as a neighborhood, and be courteous toward our neighbors, we can dramatically improve the attractiveness of our Oak Meadows Neighborhood.