Politics Suck Pt II

A letter has been sent to our Transportation Committee via E-mail and here it is for your viewing.

To: Transportation Committee
From: Frank J. Barron
RE: LD 1642, An Act To Reduce Road Noise within Posted Areas

Chair Damon, Chair Mazurek, Members of the Committee

On February 2nd you will be hearing for and against, “LD1642 An Act To Reduce Road Noise within Posted Areas “. Which is in principal a very good idea, but in language very wrong.

The problem of commercial vehicles using engine brakes in residential areas is an annoyance that we can all agree upon. I myself live near the exit ramp portion of the Veterans Memorial Bridge in Auburn ME. and have been awoken more than once from a sound sleep by the use of an engine brake on a Tractor Trailer using the roadway.

However the language used in this bill does not cover just commercially registered vehicle, but throws an all encompassing blanket over all motor vehicles and this is where I have an issue. If this bill is geared toward commercial vehicles then word it so that is the focus of the bill.

In my capacity as an avid Automobile Enthusiast, as well as being an ASE Certified Master Automobile Technician, ASE Certified Advanced Level Engine Performance Specialist, ASE Certified Under Car Specialist, ASE Certified Service Consultant, along with being a State of Maine Licensed Inspection Technician, Class A & E and the Chief Safety Inspector for the National Street Rod Association in the State of Maine, I can easily say that the decibel levels asked for in this bill are virtually unobtainable without a monetary burden being placed upon the owner/ operators of these vehicles or the businesses that own them. In some cases this could be a burden that can not be readily absorbed by these businesses and could cause more job losses. The level asked for by this bill would not allow any traffic from any vehicle, as normal ranges found on New Vehicles is 70db or higher.

The 62 decibel level asked for in this bill is unrealistic and any research that has been done should be reexamined before setting any standard. If a statute is in place stating that 95 db is the standard for maximum noise levels then that standard should be adhered to and the statute should be strengthened to give enforcement better training and ability for stronger enforcement.

You must remember that the decibel is not a term of measurement but a term of comparison as stated by several Audio Labs that are experts in sound deadening and have written several items that show in chart form that a normal conversation’s decibel level is somewhere in the 50 to 60 range and normal traffic noise from inside a car is 85 decibels. All these figures can be obtained from the following websites and I ask that you yourselves look at their charts and compare this with the levels asked for by LD1642.

http://www.esoundproof.com/Screens/Basics/Academy/Sound%20Measurement/Decibels/dBChart.aspx
http://www.gcaudio.com/resources/howtos/loudness.html
http://www.soundinstitute.com/article_detail.cfm/ID/95

Thank You
Respectfully Submitted
Frank J Barron

With that being sent, can it be any clearer.