No immediate relief coming to Charlotte for ‘loud and disturbing’ car noise
If Charlotte wants to expand its crack down on noisy vehicles, it’s first going to need state lawmakers to sign off.
Read more Family of York County woman killed in weekend crash set up fundraiser
A frustrated City Council on Monday learned there is little it can do to immediately bolster enforcement against drivers who illegally modify their vehicles to create “unreasonably loud and disturbing noises,” which isn’t allowed under the city’s existing noise ordinance.
State law does not allow cities to monitor decibel levels through noise cameras, which would be the city’s strongest enforcement tool, Assistant City Attorney Jessica Battle told the council’s safety committee. The committee unanimously voted to recommend Charlotte take up noise cameras as a priority in its next legislative agenda.
“A lot of times, when officers arrive on the scene, these vehicles are already gone, as motor vehicles are made to move,” Battle said. “(Enforcement) involves officers being present at the time when these violations are occurring.”
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department incorporated loud cars into its summer enforcement initiatives, which focus on high police visibility during the weekend. Police have issued 53 civil citations so far.
City Council members took little comfort in those numbers.
“The fact is what we’re doing now is not enough. A lot of people are unhappy, particularly uptown. It’s a real nuisance,” Councilman Ed Driggs said. “At the same time, we need to acknowledge the difficulty of these complaints.”
Driggs has called in complaints about street racing before. The offenders are usually gone by the time officers respond.
“CMPD’s resources when it comes to responding to complaints like that, relative to the direct threats to a person’s safety, are limited. So I’m not sure what to recommend or how better to define this,” Driggs said. “At least on these findings, I’m not sure what people can hope for in terms of any change in where we are.”
Read more New NC law forces Charlotte to change diversity goals for city contracts
Council members say the issue spans every district and needs a citywide solution, though much of the discussion has centered on uptown. Hotel owners in uptown previously told council loud noise is a leading complaint from visitors and costs their businesses money.
Councilman Malcolm Graham read the committee an email he received from an uptown resident on Sunday night.
“’As I write this, it’s nearly 2 a.m., and I have already been awakened eight times, even wearing noise-canceling ear buds,’” Graham read. “I get these emails all the time … I could probably make about 10 citizens arrests a day as people drive by me. You hear them coming, and you hear them go.”
Noise cameras are not allowed because of privacy concerns relating to the government having access to audio in public spaces, Battle said. The technology could be set to flag certain decibel levels and a variety of noises beyond just mufflers.
In contrast, the council voted in June to implement a red light camera pilot program that is allowed under state law because it will rely on non-audio surveillance.
There hasn’t been any concerted legislative lobbying on this issue so far in North Carolina, Battle said. But noise complaints aren’t isolated to Charlotte, and other agencies could be interested in supporting Charlotte if the city decides to include noise cameras in its 2027 legislative agenda. That agenda will be formally decided later this fall, Battle said.
Read more Buc-ee’s is the butt of late-night TV jokes as Mebane, NC awaits travel center
