Custom Search

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Your motorcycle can be loud, but not to loud..

Please click onto the comments for the post

posted by Bob at Wednesday, May 02, 2007

1 Comments:

Blogger Bob said...

All's quiet on first day of noise crackdown
By late afternoon, city had reported no tickets issued for loud motorcycles
BY MARY DIVINE
Pioneer Press
Article Last Updated: 05/01/2007 11:13:16 PM CDT


Stillwater police officer Scott Geving reviews Stillwater's noise ordinance with motorcyclist Dave Holte. Officer Geving stopped Holte in downtown Stillwater. He did not ticket Holte. (John Doman, Pioneer Press)The squad car's sirens weren't blaring and its lights weren't flashing, but motorcyclist David Holte pulled over immediately after spotting a Stillwater police officer Tuesday afternoon.

Holte, of White Bear Lake, had a question for officer Scott Geving: "Is my bike OK?"

Tuesday marked the first day of Stillwater police officers' well-publicized - and, to some, controversial - campaign to ticket rather than warn drivers and riders of cars and motorcycles that are louder than the law allows. The crackdown was announced a month ago in response to complaints from residents and business owners in the historic St. Croix River Valley city.

No one had been ticketed by late afternoon Tuesday, Police Chief John Gannaway said. "I'm sure word has gotten out," he said. "As long as they're going slow and not revving the throttle, they're more than welcome to come to town."

But motorcyclists who "sit at stoplights and rev the throttle" or "gun the throttle and cause the pipes to rattle and roar" can expect to be ticketed, he said.

As for Holte, his 2003 Packer probably violated the state's muffler law, but because Holte was riding quietly as he headed north on Main Street, Geving said he wouldn't issue him a ticket.

"You were taking it easy through town. It wasn't excessive," Geving told Holte. "It's like speeding: If you came into town 5 miles over the speed limit, I wouldn't stop you. If you came in 15 over, I would."

For his part, Holte told Geving
had planned to stop by the police station to see whether his bike passed muster. Geving saved him the trip, handing over a copy of the state motorcycle statute concerning muffler violations. Drivers found in violation face a $122 ticket, he said.
Here's how Geving, an eight-year veteran of the Stillwater Police Department, explains the law: "If I can hear your muffler from more than a block away and it's louder than all the surrounding traffic, then it's a violation of the statute."

Geving said he often points to the three condominium projects on North Main Street when he pulls over motorcyclists. "I'll say: 'This is the situation. We've got hundreds of units down here now, and people don't want to be sitting out on their balconies and listening to this.' "

Some aren't happy with Stillwater's plans for stepped-up enforcement. A St. Croix River Valley motorcycle group, for example, has called on its 700 members to boycott the city.

"There are a lot of other towns out there that would be more than happy enough to accept our money," said Dwight Smith, president of St. Croix Valley Riders.

"Our members used to go to bed-and-breakfasts, antique stores and restaurants in Stillwater," Smith said. "Well, guess what? They're not going to go to those places anymore."

Stillwater Mayor Ken Harycki said the city is not targeting motorcyclists. Rather, the stepped-up enforcement aims to "curtail that 1 to 2 percent that are going out of their way to be obnoxious."

"If you're going out of your way to call attention to yourself and there's an officer nearby, be prepared to get a ticket," Harycki said.

P.D. Pappy's is a popular motorcycle hangout in downtown Stillwater. Owner Greg Lindow said he hopes media reports about the enforcement don't hurt business at the bar and restaurant, which opens for the season Friday.

"Time will tell," he said. "But people need to know that they're not pulling over every bike that is out there. They're just targeting the ones who are disrespecting the surroundings. If you respect the town, there will be no problem at all."

The Stillwater City Council voted 5-0 Tuesday night to approve the police department's request to lease and equip a Harley Davidson police motorcycle.

Gannaway said the motorcycle would be used for traffic enforcement and to police summer events such as Lumberjack Days and the Fourth of July. The police motorcycle, he said, would not add to the city's noise problem, as it would have "factory issue exhaust and muffler system."

Mary Divine can be reached at mdivine@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5443.

8:28 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home