WASHINGTON, Aug. 2 (UPI) -- Residents of U.S. suburbs, tired of inconsiderate racket from motorists, pet owners and mowers, are supporting a wave of local noise abatement measures.
Some of the impetus for the new ordinances are from city refugees seeking relief from urban noise, USA Today reported Monday.
Examples of peace-and-quiet initiatives:
-- Boulder, Colo., drivers risk a summons if music from the car stereo is audible more than a car-length away, and a person yelling after 11 p.m. on public property in a residential neighborhood also can be cited;
-- Portsmouth, N.H., no longer allows amplified music in the town square, and motorcycle noise may not exceed a certain level; and
-- Ybor City, Fla., near Tampa, has begun enforcing new noise limits in the entertainment district, where noise from nightclubs and other businesses has disturbed nearby residents.
"What's changed is ... we've brought the noise with us to the suburbs, and the people who have moved away (from cities) are running out of options," says Les Blomberg, executive director of the Noise Pollution Clearinghouse in Montpelier, Vt.
"And so they're starting to advocate for better noise ordinances."
