An Unwanted Sound
AN UNWANTED SOUND
NOISE
Joseph E. Bloggs
ONE MAN'S meat is another man's poison, and in the currently raging controversy about noise, that seems to be right on. There is a story about two Cockneys in London—a city noted for the number and variety of its church bells. "Ain't them bells loverly?" asked 'Arry.
"Eh?" said Bert.
"Ain't them bells loverly?" shouted 'Arry.
"I CARN'T 'EAR A BLEEDIN' WORD YER SAYIN' FOR THE BLEEDIN' NOISE THEM BLEEDIN' BELLS IS MAKING...."
John F. Nesbitt of the International Snowmobile Industry Association stated in a recent paper that "...although noise is an unwanted sound, it is not an annoyance unless someone is there to hear it."
That point of view echoes William Osman of the Air Transport Association, who is quoted as saying, "The problem is not noise, but noise annoyance."
Osman's statement is quite valid in the case of the big jets, where passengers and crew are insulated from the mighty engines, and as long as you can route the aircraft away from populated areas. But in a world with a projected population of four billion by 1975—and eight billion by the year 2000—insulation by distance will be difficult.
In any case, the argument does not hold for surface vehicles. Even if you ride your boonybike far from the maddening throng, those open pipes will eventually betray you. Someone, somewhere, sometime will hear you. And complain. You can avoid all of the people some of the time....
And how about you? Did you know that a street iron with a stock muffler puts out about 90dbA at 50 ft.; that this level of noise may shoot up to well over 100dbA at ear level; and that some helmets aggravate noise? Did you know that 85dbA is capable of causing temporary deafness, and that 90dbA of continuous exposure can cause permanent hearing loss?
A lot of people are getting uptight about noise. Important and influential people. People with pull. A Washington directory lists over 250 conservation groups, and increasing numbers of irate citizens are joining the protest. There are literally thousands of these pressure groups in this decade of the environment. True magazine calls them surprisingly effective action groups, and some of them pack real muscle. The National Wildlife Federation has a membership of over 3,000,000 and their operating budget is $14,000,000. And if you think all this is a storm in a teacup, let me remind you that the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington has a strike force of over 8000 civil servants. President Nixon has fingered noise as a prime environmental target, and has asked Congress for $30,000,000 to enable the Noise Abatement Bureau to draft Federal standards.
Why the sudden concern about noise? In the United States, city noise has doubled nationally over the last 15 years. Some of our sprawling urban giants can claim the dubious honor of a rate of clamor 70 times what it was in 1955. Stop reading this for a moment and listen....
What did you hear? Unless you're very rich, or lucky, or reside in a remote monastery, the assault on your ears would provide a tone poem of Western technology. Traffic, television sets, air conditioners, stereo sets, lawn mowers, jets, dishwashers, typewriters, trains, vacuum cleaners, sirens. All of them roaring, chugging, clanking, whining, thumping, howling, screeching and clattering. Non-stop. And wherever man goes, this clamorous cloud surrounds him.
"So what?" asks my 17-year-old son, who is the proud possessor of a new expansion chamber for a very potent enduro bike. So we have problems. Very real problems.
Recent scientific studies have shown that ordinary, everyday noise can cause not only hearing loss, but also heart disease and emotional disorders.
Dr. Sam Rosen of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York is an international authority on the medical problems caused by noise. Dr. Rosen coined the word "sociocusis" to describe what many medical experts regard as an epidemic. Sociocusis means a progressive loss of hearing ability resulting from normal daily noise. Even teenagers in our society suffer remarkable hearing losses—and it's not surprising, since a rock band can crank out 120dbA at 50 ft. Dr. Phillip M. Allen of the University of Virginia confirms the view of many specialists that the noise of recreational vehicles is a major contributor to high community health costs.
Professor John G. Bollinger of the University of Wisconsin has conducted experiments on snowmobiles—kissing cousins to motorcycles. He discovered that a microphone mounted 6 in. in front of the operator's head picked up 110dbA. And in responsible studies all over the world, medical researchers have determined that when we are exposed to sudden and repeated loud noise, ominous things start to happen. Adrenaline is pumped into the blood. The pupils dilate. The arteries constrict. Laboratory tests on animals show that continuous noise causes a rapid rise in cholesterol levels and permanent constriction of the arteries—inducing heart attacks and strokes.
Compare our record with that of some of the underdeveloped nations. Remote Sudanese tribesmen can hear a whisper at a 100 yards. And retain this ability into the 70s! Is it surprising that the reaction, in the light of increasing knowledge, has been sudden—and violent? Even the silent majority is getting into the act and starting to make noises about noise.
Franklin M. Kreml, president of the Automobile Manufacturers Association, has called for action by Washington to combat noise. Kreml pointed out the need for uniform standards at a national level, in a recent press release. He said that known sources that exceed the ambient noise level significantly, "...include motorcycles, buses, sports cars, large trucks, poorly maintained vehicles and any mechanical device whose noise output is noticeably above the general background noise."
California, the motorcyclists' Mecca, has been among the first to take corrective action. A county in the Los Angeles area now prohibits all off-road use, and a California congressman is pushing for further restrictions. His proposed bill would close an area of 16,000,000 acres stretching from the Mexican border to the Death Valley National Monument. The powerful National Wildlife Federation is considering support of the legislation because of what environmentalists call the destruction of the balance of nature by dune buggies and motorcycles.
Strangely enough, snowmobiles have borne the brunt of the approaching storm. I think the reason is very basic, though. In our winter wonderland states and Canada, the single feature that registers most strongly with visitors is the eerie, almost unearthly silence. Or was, until Monsieur Bombardier discovered a faster way to traverse the white winter attire of a la belle Province de Quebec.
At least seven states have laws or bills stipulating a maximum level of 82dbA for snowmobiles, which took effect in 1972. Minnesota, Michigan, New York and Wisconsin have a snowmobile population of 700,000, and have adopted the 82dbA limit together with California, Illinois and Iowa. All these jurisdictions specify the noise level to be measured by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) standard J192, and this means the sound meter is at a distance of 50 ft. from the test run. The state of Washington will ask for 82dbA at 100 ft.
Chicago, among many other cities, is losing patience with noise offenders. Under their latest ordinance they will require: motorcycles manufactured before Jan. 1, 1970, to have a noise limit of 92dbA; after Jan. 1, 1970, 88dbA; after Jan. 1, 1973, 86dbA; after Jan. 1,
1975 84dbA; after Jan. 1, 1980, 75dbA.
But let's take a look at what's happening here. Under our democratic multi-layered government, we seem to lack coordination. Without direction from Washington, state and local legislators seem to be galloping off in all directions. Another problem is that the whole thing can become a political football. If Crossbones Corners specifies an 80dbA limit for mini-bikes, Elbow Bend may decide to go one or two better—and come up with a 70dbA limit.
Canada, with almost identical forms of government to ours, has been faced with a similar problem. In an attempt to give some Federal guidance to provincial and municipal levels of government, noise regulations for all new motor vehicles are in the Ottawa mill. Snowmobiles manufactured after Feb. 1, 1972, must register no more than 82dbA at 50 ft. Since there is no SAE standard for motorcycles yet, the Canadians have proposed adoption of an existing European standard. This noise regulation was recognized by countries of the Common Market in 1968. It was developed by the Economic Commission for Europe, an offshoot of the United Nations organization.
The permissible limits for motorcycle noise are measured at a distance of 7 meters on a test run at full throttle in second gear. The levels are: Two-
strokes, over 50cc, not exceeding 125cc—82dbA; over 125cc, 84dbA; and four-strokes, over 50cc, not exceeding 125cc, 82dbA; over 125cc, not exceeding 500cc, 84dbA; over 500cc, 86dbA.
California, facing serious off-road problems, restricts motorcycles to 82dbA at under 35 mph. Speeds over this limit the noise to 86dbA, and all measurements are made at 50 ft. But the Golden State, with 20 percent of the nation's motorcycles, has very tough proposals for the future. General levels of noise emission start at 80dbA in 1975 and drop progressively to 70dbA by 1988.
Right now, anyone who makes noticeable noise has three strikes against him. First, it is causing a lot of unnecessary annoyance to millions of Americans. A high-ranking Washington official told me recently that if he could cut out noise complaints, he could reduce his motorcycle files by 70 percent.
Second, the environment and conservation people are up in arms. And they mean business. But look at it from their point of view. Outboard motors shatter the tranquillity of the remotest mountain lake. The once-silent sanctuary of our Northern woods shudders to the blast of snowmobiles in Winter and chain saws, ATVs and mini-bikes in Summer. The racket drives wildlife into islands of refuge, incapable of supporting a fraction of the increased population. For many species, extinction is inevitable.
Third, indisputable medical evidence gathered over the last 10 years fingers noise as a serious threat to the hearing and health of almost every man, woman and child in the United States. There is no medical remedy for ear injury caused by excessive noise. Even hearing aids are of little or no value.
And whether we like it or not— whether we agree or not—that's the way it is, baby. Logically we can only accept the situation and try to do something about it. But it might help to discover how we got into this mess.
Three years ago, the Motorcycle Industry Council held its first annual meeting. The guest speaker was Doug Toms, the ebullient boss of the Federal NHTSA, and a successful Baja competitor—on a motorcycle. In his address, Toms suggested three areas where the council could forestall premature legislation. These were tires, exhaust emission and noise. So far, very little has been done by the industry in any one of these three areas.
In a recent CW interview, Bob Hicks, the controversial and colorful motorcycling showman, put his finger on a nerve center. Speaking of the Council, he said, "...none of them wants to do anything that will embarrass any of the others, because it might come home to roost one day....''
There is some truth in this—but it's not the whole story. Research and development cost money. And exotic emission control units or advanced mufflers cost more money. Naturally, the increased cost is passed on to you and me because that's the way the system works. And in a highly competitive field, nobody wants to be the first to add $20 to the price tag of a bike.
To put it bluntly, the question the industry is asking is—where does noise pollution stop and business begin? It's a question that can be well taken. In the meantime, you and I are caught in the middle.
It is obvious that everybody needs Continued on page 156
Continued from page 68
national guidelines and standards. This will immeasureably ease the task of the council, manufacturers and legislators and will arrest the eruption of pennyante legislation—often technically invalid and practically unenforceable. And it will get us off the bureaucratic hook.
Meanwhile, there is much that you can do. The next time you hear one of our lunatic fringe rattling your neighbor's windows, sooting up his garage wall at 20 paces or splitting the wide blue yonder with open pipe or expansion chamber—sound off\ |ol
