Noise level reaching new heights

COEUR d’ALENE — It’s a sunny Thursday afternoon and a small black two-door car is rumbling down Lakeside Avenue.

The driver revvs the engine several times and then, as he turns onto Northwest Boulevard, guns it, a roar rising to be heard blocks away.

A few minutes later, a truck rolls down Third Street, apparently lacking a muffler as a bellow fills the air.

And soon, over on Eighth and Front, the scream of a motorcycle seems to bounce off McEuen Terrace before fading into the distance.

Wait until a Friday or Saturday night, and the noise level from vehicles gets louder and more frequent, said Ed Hatter, a resident of the condominium.

“It’s always been noisy,” he said. “Honestly, it’s been a little better lately. But it’s still ridiculous.”

An increasing number of downtown area residents are voicing concerns about the racing of engines and screeching of tires that drowns out hopes for peace and quiet.

Even those living in upper levels of condominiums said they hear it loud and clear.

They say it’s not just a noise problem that really is citywide, but a safety issue, as well.

One downtown Sherman Avenue resident said she and friends like to walk their dogs at night, but are becoming wary of doing so.

Joan Woodard said there is little regard for pedestrians in crosswalks and drivers routinely speed by them.

“We are constantly in fear of our lives from speeding cars, hot dogging motorcycles and skateboard groups who ignore the posted signs to keep off the sidewalks,” she wrote.

Emily Boyd, executive director of the Coeur d’Alene Downtown Association, said the noise does affect the area and business owners have shared their concerns with her.

“When you’re sitting outside dining, it’s not the most pleasant thing to hear someone racing their vehicle,” Boyd said.

Like others, she said it’s not a new problem, but one that is becoming more of an issue as cars, trucks and motorcycles seem to be louder than ever and there are more of them, as well.

“As Coeur d’Alene becomes more popular, it draws more people and brings more noise,” Boyd said.

The city has tackled this problem before and is giving it another go.

City Attorney Randy Adams previously told The Press that the city has an ordinance on excessive noise caused by motor vehicles, which is in Chapter 10.80 of the Municipal Code.

It prohibits, “The operation of any automobile, motorcycle, other vehicle, engine or motor of any size, device, or thing in such a manner as to create any loud, unnecessary, or unusual noise that is excessive, disruptive, and/or annoying to a person of reasonable sensitivities.”

As it's difficult to enforce, Adams said the city is looking to amend the chapter. It wants to provide additional clarity on prohibited conduct, specifically dealing with mufflers and noise suppression systems, and alteration of those systems, as well as excessive exhaust and fumes.

The exact language is being developed with input from the prosecutor’s office and the police department, Adams said.

The amendments will also propose an increase in the infraction penalty to $300 from $100, and would also make second and subsequent offenses within one year a misdemeanor.

Earlier this year, the Boise City Council passed amendments to three Boise city codes to help calm downtown traffic and deter certain behaviors and those changes reportedly improved things.

Coeur d’Alene Councilwoman Christie Wood, who served 26 years with the Coeur d’Alene Police Department, said the noise problem needs to be addressed.

She agreed it’s difficult to enforce a noise ordinance without sufficient resources, and warned against unrealistic expectations.

But she said a bigger deterrent, such as higher fines, emphasis patrols and spreading the word about those efforts, could help.

“If they have the tools to address the issue, that changes everything,” Wood said.

Coeur d’Alene Police Capt. Dave Hagar agreed, kind of.

He said an officer has to witness the illegal activity in question to be able to give out a citation.

“The tools are great, but we need people to do it,” he said.

Hagar said police have been stretched thin this summer trying to monitor and respond to downtown calls for service and had to pull officers from other areas.

He said a crackdown on noisy vehicles would prove challenging.

“We simply don’t have the staffing,” he said.

As always, Hagar said police will do their best.

“Our biggest goal is to keep everybody safe,” he said.

Roger Smith, who lives downtown, said at a recent neighborhood “National Night Out” meeting with police representatives, the primary topic was traffic noise and speeders.

“The police got an earful,” he wrote.

Woodard said raising the fines and making continued violations a misdemeanor would be a good start, but agreed more officers are needed.

“I know they have been understaffed, but perhaps creating a task force every now and then to write a bunch of tickets would solve the problem as word will get out pretty quickly that it is too expensive to cruise downtown anymore,” she wrote.

Hatter has lived in a downtown condo for about eight years.

He said friends have told him they stopped going downtown for dinner because of the noise from vehicles.

He said that may not affect restaurants in the summer as there are plenty of tourists, but it could come winter.

Hatter said drivers used to congregate in the McEuen Field parking lot where engines echoed in the garage, but now hang out in the Coeur d’Alene Public Library parking lot and south of City Hall.

Like some residents of Coeur d’Alene North on Northwest Boulevard, he said they often can’t sit outside on their balcony and must close windows.

In the summer, Hatter said, the din from hot-rodding vehicles is constant.

“It’s every night," he said.