The North Bay Police Service is cracking down on noisy vehicles.
Police Chief Scott Tod told the police services board Tuesday morning that they’ve had a number of calls from the public about excessive noise.
“Most recently we’ve done a number of traffic safety initiatives through our traffic and patrol services, and we’ve been very successful in laying a number of charges,” he says.
Tod says 34 charges were laid for improper mufflers and another dozen charges for excessive noise.
But, there can be challenges with enforcement.
“The best way to enforce that is to actually hear and see the vehicle,” he says. “Information passed to us from the general public is of value but the best evidence in court is generally when the officer can testify that they heard the vehicle and found the noise to be excessive.”
Tod also says police have to prove equipment has been modified.
He says that often requires the use of an expert, which the police service would have to pay for.
Another police initiative focused on motorized bicycles.
“We’ve seized more than five of them in a short period of time and we continue to monitor for that,” Tod says.
