Barrie police think they may be on to a partial solution to ongoing concerns about noisy vehicles and are planning an amnesty event for next spring.
People who have had their vehicles and their mufflers modified, or those with cars that are noisy, will be invited to find out just how noisy they are.
The plan for the “report card” amnesty event is to have drivers from Barrie and other communities show up with their vehicles.
Officers will then provide them with a report card indicating whether they emit noise exceeding acceptable levels and any other concerns that might arise. Other agencies will likely be part of the initiative.
They’ll also get an idea what kind of fines or punishment they would be subject to if stopped by an officer on the street.
And then they can just drive away and do what they like. The hope is that they’ll fix any identified issues, but there will be no tracking or follow-ups, said Deputy Chief Wyllie Allan.
“People can come with their cars. … We will tell you what is compliant and what is not compliant,” he said. “And they can take their preventative action if they wish.
“When they move on… they won’t be added to a check-up list or be the target of any kind of enforcement," Allan added.
If it’s successful, city police say they will hold another event in the future.
Noise in some neighbourhoods has become such a concern that city council asked Barrie police to take additional action.
In reporting to the Barrie Police Services Board on Thursday, Allan pointed to initiatives that have already been taken.
Last year, city police targeted 26 locations identified as being problematic and issued 182 tickets under the Highway Traffic Act, each with fines of $110.
Those efforts included Project ERASE (Eliminate Racing Activity on Streets Everywhere) held on Aug. 7, resulting in 65 provincial and criminal charges, including five specific to modified mufflers.
Project Wake Up Call addressed the many community complaints generated in the east end of the city in Ward 1 and ran last June and July when 89 provincial charges were laid, 14 specific to noisy mufflers.
Analysis determined that about half of the disruptive cars were owned by people not living in Barrie but in surrounding communities.
Allan says he suspects there many other noise-related tickets were issued through regular enforcement that wasn’t subject to the program’s tracking system.
Concern over excessive noise and the resulting disruptions has been a major concern in the city.
The trick for police, added Allan, is balancing policing time with the well-being of individuals in the community with preventative measures with the overall safety of the city.
