BLOG - Current O'ahu Noise Issues

Pu'uloa Shooting Range - Un-neighborly USMC in Ewa?

9/15/2020

Comment:
This is regarding The Pu'uloa Firing Range in Ewa Beach. Loud verbal commands and announcements begin as early as 6am in the Ewa Beach Community where the Firing Range is located. The volume of the PA System is louder than the gunfire. The announcer can be heard miles away and is very disruptive at such an early hour. This occurs almost daily!! I always thought the military strives to be "good neighbors" in the community where they reside. These Noise Concerns have been brought to the USMC and Neighborhood Board but with no success on finding a resolution. We understand that firearms training is imperative but its the early and overly loud start time of the announcer over the microphone and PA System that is very disruptive and negatively affects everyone in the neighborhood.

Quieter O'ahu Response:Aloha,

Yet another voice speaking up about the Pu'uloa Shooting Range.

Please visit the below two links for background on this noise issue. The range noise is top-of-mind for the Ewa Neighborhood Board (No. 23), and I'm certain they will be able to provide you with status of discussions with the USMC about the unacceptable noise there. The links below will hopefully bring you up to speed on the topic.

https://www.quieteroahu.com/our-noise-blog/ewa-neighborhood-board-meeting-issue-loud-noise-from-puuloa-firing-range

https://www.quieteroahu.com/our-noise-blog/usmc-puuloa-shooting-range-retaliating-because-community-complained

You can reach the Ewa Neighborhood Board No. 23 via email at the link below. Suggest an email to the Chair, Vice Chair, or any of the At-Large members to establish initial dialogue on the topic of noise at the Pu'uloa Range.

http://www.honolulu.gov/cms-nco-menu/site-nco-featured/191-site-nco-cat/682-test.html

Hope this helps.

Mahalo,
Quieter O'ahu

For Those On Maui

8/11/2020

One of our regular subscribers on Maui is looking to start-up a Maui group of like-minded folks to address noise issues on Maui.

If you would be interested, note from Tyler follows:

For those who want a Quieter Maui, please contact Tyler at tyler1030+quiet@gmail.com who is looking for others on Maui to collaborate with.

Loud Exhaust Noise In Aliamanu - Salt Lake

8/9/2020

Comment:

Aloha
I have noticed an increase in auto exhausts sound and a decrease in the sound of mopeds where I live.

I just found your organization and website. What a great service to the community.

It appears we have the laws but there is no enforcement. What about auto safety checks. I'm all for increasing the cost of the safety checks if it includes a check for auto exhaust sounds.

Thank you for what you are doing. I plan to write all of the state legislators about this issue.

Mahalo

Quieter O'ahu Response:

Aloha,

Thank you for your note and taking the time to contact us.

Perhaps it's the case that the loud moped riders have now matured to loud auto exhausts. Some tongue in cheek there, but seriously, noise ebbs and flows in and around communities for many reasons.

In terms of vehicle inspections, the Periodic Motor Vehicle Inspection (PMVI) guides for passenger vehicles and motorcycles require inspection of the exhaust system. You can check line 6 inspection guidance in the PMVI Guide at link below, but it says:

http://hidot.hawaii.gov/highways/files/2017/12/HAR19-133.2-PMVI-Manual-for-Inspectors-of-Passenger-Cars-and-Light-Trucks-12-26-2017.pdf

"EXHAUST SYSTEM (Line 6)
The exhaust system is designed to do two things: (1) direct exhaust fumes away from the passenger compartment and (2) reduce the noise emitted by the engine.
Fail if:
►It is leaking so as to be a health hazard to occupants.
►Any component part is not securely fastened.
►Any component part is missing, equipped with exhaust cut-outs, by-pass or similar
devices.
►Emits a much louder noise than that emitted by the vehicle as equipped from the
factory, or..."
Although in most cases it's common sense when aftermarket super-charged and super-loud exhausts are emitting "a much louder noise," but both the vehicle inspectors and HPD fall back to the phrase being a matter of interpretation and ambiguous and, therefore, it's not enforced. As you pointed out, we have the laws, we just don't anyone with the will to enforce these laws.
But taking the Devil's Advocate position, let's say that "a much louder noise" is ambiguous. One thing we have been lobbying for is changing the wording for ALL noise and related legislation by adopting the "Plainly Audible Standard." Imagine instead of saying "much louder than" it simply said "if the exhausts can be heard under normal street operations (not at idle) at a distance of more than 75 feet, then the exhaust is in violation of State noise emission standards and will be failed." Now, again argumentatively, we would need to further tighten the wording and select the appropriate distance, but by changing from something deemed as interpretative and ambiguous to something that is easily understood and enforced, we would have taken a big step forward. This "Plainly Audible Standard" could be applied to ANY noise problem: your neighbors stereo, loud "Boom Car" stereos, auto and truck exhausts, motorcycle exhausts, gas powered landscaping equipment, literally everything. Read more on the "Plainly Audible Standard" here: https://ilsr.org/rule/noise-pollution/2446-2/
That said, we already have at least one ordinance passed based on the "Plainly Audible Standard." Revised Ordinances of Honolulu (ROH) Section 41-31.1 Prohibited Noise ( https://www.quieteroahu.com/hawaii-noise-laws.html ) was passed in an attempt to control the out-of-control high-powered super-amplified auto stereos. The ordinance says simply that if you can hear a stereo 30 feet from the car, it's illegal. Arguably, 30 feet may be too close, but at least it was an attempt to regulate this horrible noise. Result: as expected, no enforcement by HPD.
But still, we try. We will add you to our distribution list. We only email if there's something significant happening on the noise front, but you can unsubscribe at any time if we become bothersome. We recommend to everyone that if not already participating that they become active in their Neighborhood Board and actively steer that board to address noise as a community quality of life issue. Push rewrites of currently ambiguous laws to incorporate the "Plainly Audible Standard" and push legislators to demand enforcement of existing laws by HPD. If enough people ultimately do that, we have a chance to change things for the better.
Mahalo,
Quieter O'ahu

Another Rider Comments On The Myth "Loud Pipes Save Lives"

7/14/2020

Comment:

This argument has been going on forever. I wonder if it’s really about this or the need to attempt to impose one groups will against another. I know from my own experiences that noise volume does make a difference even it’s just slightly. If you’re never ridden a Harley and i suspect most of the complainers in here haven’t then you’ll just have to take my word for it. Commenting about safety gear is getting off topic. Live and let live is popular to say in certain circles.

Quieter O'ahu Response:
7/14/2020 01:28:59 am

I think we can agree that this IS about one group imposing their will against others. In this case, motorcycle riders who fit their bikes with aftermarket exhausts capable of 125dB - anything over 120dB harms hearing according to OSHA, and spills that noise pollution a quarter-mile in all directions, making it impossible for hundreds, if not thousands, of others in proximity to that awful noise from enjoying their day. And tell us, please, where is the safety factor of loud pipes in sitting at a stop light or stop sign and endlessly revving the engine to ensure the noise continues unabated?

A stock Harley emits a noise level of 80dB. For reference, a typical car when idling emits noise at about 35-45 dB and in the high 50s to low 60s decibel levels at freeway speeds. So even though the stock cycle is significantly louder than a car, that seems still to not be enough noise for most riders. Got to have them louder. Got to "wake the dead." Well, we politely disagree, and, apparently so does the City Council and State Legislature. Both of whom have passed ordinances and statutes against such excessive noise. 80dB, loud, but okay, we'll live with it. But enough is enough and motorcycle riders, in the main, have crossed a line.

Please review our pages on Hawai'i ordinances and statutes for a review of those most on point at: https://www.quieteroahu.com/hawaii-noise-laws.html .

And we also disagree that our last response was off-topic. The submitter made the point that motorcycle riders were 35 times more likely to be involved in an accident than cars, and that noise saved lives - a debunked myth by rider groups and science, regardless of personal opinion - but if saving lives were of interest, then riders should equip themselves for riding: helmets, vests, and attire.

Thank you for your comments.

A Rider Comments - It's His Right To Make Noise And If You Don't Let Him You're A Communist

7/13/2020

Comment Received From Motorcycle Rider:

Loud pipes help keep riders safe by making their presence known, unfortunately there are plenty of poor drivers who do not have the surrounding awareness skills that (should) be required..

And others are distracted by multiple devices in their car whether it be a phone, radio, food, passengers just to name a few.

In fact, statistics show that motorcyclists are nearly 30 times more likely to die in a traffic accident as those in car accidents.

My problem with people like “Quieter Oahu” is they think the solution is to take away someones personal freedom (whatever that may be) but in this case to modify their own property, said motorcycle for intentions of better protecting myself while on the roadway.

How about we take the freedom away of the radio in the car so that you can have a better chance of hearing stock motorcycle exhaust?

You all keep taking peoples freedom away we might as well slap a communist flag on your door.

Quieter O'ahu Responded:
7/13/2020 07:04:55 pm

Thank you for your comment. “Loud pipes save lives.” A myth debunked by science and most reputable rider groups. Even the CEO of Harley Davidson has said “enough is enough.” Here’s an excerpt from RevZilla that debunks the myth fairly emphatically, and anyone wanting to know the science should just google “science myth loud pipes save lives” to get an earful. The only point of loud pipes is to annoy the public. There is no performance or safety purpose that stands scrutiny.
Source: From RevZilla.com

https://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/stop-saying-loud-pipes-save-lives

Quote
Stop Saying "Loud Pipes Save Lives"

"Loud pipes save lives."
"Gotta make sure they hear you coming!"
"I can't tell you how many times a driver has noticed me because of my loud exhaust."
"They aren't just cool. It tells people you're there."
The "loud pipes save lives" argument is one I see or hear on almost a weekly basis. It's usually coming from some guy on a Harley or retro Triumph, though the sportbike guys are jumping on as of late. I honestly can’t tell if people really believe it, or it's just a nice justification when someone says their bike is too loud, but I think it's the second dumbest thing commonly heard from riders. (If you're wondering, the first is that 600cc supersports are beginner bikes.)
Let's start with some basic physics and a little rationality. Your exhaust is pointed backwards and by the nature of you traveling forward, you're actually leaving the sound behind you as you move forward. If that concept is confusing, think of the sound of a fire truck passing you with its siren blaring. The siren is pointed forward because the purpose is to warn driver’s the truck is approaching from behind. The next time you hear one coming, notice that it’s louder when it’s coming toward you than when it’s going away.
Now apply that to motorcycle crashes. The one comprehensive, reliable study of motorcycle crashes in this country is the well known "Hurt Report," which is now nearly 40 years old. Harry Hurt and his team found that 64.9 percent of multiple-vehicle motorcycle crashes were the fault of the car driver and “the typical accident in this category is portrayed by the automobile in traffic turning left into the path of the oncoming motorcycle.” A lot has changed in 40 years, but one thing that I think we can all agree hasn’t changed is that the car drivers are still pulling out in front of us. That means the bigger danger is still ahead, not behind, but most of the racket from loud pipes is just pissing off the people behind you, while doing very little to warn those in front of you.
Your headlights and horn, however, are pointed ahead. If you really were so concerned with an upgrade that could save your life, you’d add aftermarket auxiliary lights and upgrade your horn. But then you’d run the risk of looking like a dork instead of sounding like a badass.
Secondly, look at the cars around you. If loud pipes ever helped make you safer, that's less true today. My first car was a 1986 Volkswagen Fox. Basically, a go-cart with doors and a roof. Every scrap of road noise bled into the cabin. Today, even my semi-budget Mazda 3 manages to make road noise basically non-existent and it also comes with eight speakers, a six-CD changer, and an auxiliary port for my iPhone, so all I'm likely to hear is my music. In a current luxury car, you'll hear far less, and in the future, maybe nothing at all.
Now, I'm not saying a loud motorcycle has never alerted anyone to your presence. We've all had an experience where a driver has noticed us because of the sound of the bike. Obviously, anything that calls attention to your motorcycle helps today’s distracted drivers notice you’re there between their kids’ screams and bites from their burritos. However, claiming that “loud pipes save lives” while riding around on your brakeless bobber in your T-shirt and novelty helmet just makes you, me, and the rest of the motorcycle community look like morons.
Unquote

Quieter O’ahu Second Response:
7/13/2020 07:11:52 pm

Oh, and by the way, if you want to save the lives of people on motorcycles, wear a helmet, wear reflective vests, wear long pants, wear shoes! But no, that’s not cool, is it? Much better to ride in shorts and slippahs with no helmet, no reflective gear, why, heck, I think most would just ride nude if they could. But helmets. Oh, no, we can’t have that. Which is why the motorcycle lobby year after year after year makes sure any attempt at helmet legislation is defeated. And yet you make the case that it’s loudness that keeps you safe. Check the number of fatalities caused by preventable head injuries and call us back.

Loud Cars And Stereos In Kailua

7/11/2020

Comment:

We live on Xyz Drive in Kailua and have constant loud cars and stereos driving by. Just looking to see if there was anything I can do and I came across your website.

Quieter O'ahu Response:

Aloha,

If it is any consolation, you are not alone. We receive hundreds of complaints and requests for information on this topic.

Let me point you to our pages on Hawai'i noise ordinances and statutes. https://www.quieteroahu.com/hawaii-noise-laws.html

If you review these I'm sure you'll find at least one that covers your problem and clearly identifies the problem as a violation of the cited statute or ordinance. Being armed with that, you're now ready to call HPD and report these violations. If the officer responds, which they often do, they will likely tell you that they have to witness the violation or they cannot issue a citation. That or countless other reasons why they cannot or will not cite the violator. We have heard all their stories and all their reasons.

You might also want to review our Noise Blog. You'll find many, many others who have reported these same problems, and our recommendations, including working through your neighborhood board. https://www.quieteroahu.com/our-noise-blog

But let us also share with you one weapon that all sworn HPD officers have in their toolbox should they decide to truly pursue these offenders. If an officer suspects or has reason to believe that any vehicle has been modified so that it would no longer pass the relevant State required safety inspection, they may order the vehicle to undergo a "reconstruction inspection" to determine compliance with inspection requirements. So a counter to virtually ANY of HPD's reasons for not citing violators could be "then why not order that the vehicle undergo a reconstruction inspection to see if it has been illegally modified?" Makes for interesting conversation. You can read more about this at our link here https://www.quieteroahu.com/our-noise-blog/loud-exhaust-and-no-hpd-enforcement .

Mahalo for contacting us.

A Quieter O'ahu

Loud Exhaust and No HPD Enforcement

6/30/2020

Comment:

Good morning. I recently found your website and I see that I am not alone in having concerns about loud exhausts. While I have been compiling the license numbers of violators in my neighborhood, I was curious if anyone in this group regularly calls the police to enforce violations and what the outcome is? I intend to take this up with the neighborhood board but meetings are cancelled for now due to COVID. It was addressed at a meeting earlier in the year according to the minutes of the meeting but the officer said he would get back with the board and there was no further discussion. Again, I was just curious as I see no enforcement of this and wanted to know if others have had success with law enforcement before I start taking time out of my day to call in violations. As the car will be long gone after I call, I could see the police saying they can't do anything and doubt they would go to the offender's home and cite him/her there. Any feedback will be appreciated. Thank you.

Quieter O'ahu Response:

Aloha,
No, you are not alone. There are hundreds of others who have expressed their frustration on this site, and that is just a small fraction of the undoubted thousands of others across Hawai'i who have not contacted us.

You raise a good question about HPD responsiveness. As we point out on several pages of our website, HPD is mostly unresponsive, citing "officer discretion" to NOT issue a citation when violators are caught "in the act," and the answer you've received that by the time HPD responds, the violator is gone.

We hear complaints about 3 primary types of vehicular noise:
--The noise of illegally loud aftermarket exhausts on motorcycles;
--The noise of illegally loud aftermarket exhausts on cars and trucks;
--The noise of illegally loud aftermarket stereos, amplifiers, and speakers on cars and trucks.

We use the term "illegally loud" because there are Hawai'i and Honolulu ordinances and statutes prohibiting each. It's not a question of new laws, it's a question of rigorous and uncompromising enforcement.

What HPD doesn't tell you is that they are NOT powerless to confront offenders unless they are caught "in the act." ANY HPD sworn officer, upon suspecting a violation, can issue a citation ordering the suspect for a "reconstruction inspection." This inspection would check to see if aftermarket equipment is louder than originally installed equipment and, in the case of exhausts systems, would result in the revocation of their safety inspection which prohibits illegally loud aftermarket exhausts.

It's an uphill battle but you are correct in working through your neighborhood board. But 1 neighborhood board will be ineffective. We have spoken at numerous neighborhood boards and have recommended establishment of an extra-plenary committee comprised of a representative from ALL of the neighborhood boards to address the issue of noise, and to report their findings as the whole of the neighborhood organization back to their respective boards AND to the city, DEMANDING better and more aggressive HPD enforcement on behalf of 21 neighborhoods. Perhaps yours will be the 1 additional voice necessary to tip the balance and gain some traction for this.

Thank you for your note. We will post your note and our comments, without attribution, on our blog so that others may benefit from your comments.

Mahalo,
A Quieter O'ahu

Mahalo!

12/30/2019

Just a very appreciative Shout-Out from Quieter O'ahu to the kind folks at Aloha Estate Jewelry (http://www.alohaestatejewelry.com) for their very kind donation. 100% of their donation will go directly to defraying operational costs such as licenses, hosting fees, mailings, handouts, etc.

Inaudible Noise - Yes, That Can Affect Health, Too

12/30/2019

Comment:
Dear Quieter Oahu,
I applaud your work on Quieter Oahu.
Also I would like to bring to your attention inaudible noise which can be much more dangerous to health. Unfortunately most people are not aware.
On 2009 our legislators revised the noise law and require noise enforcer utilize both dB(A) and dB(C) filters to measure noise. Both measurements shall not be over 50dB during the nighttime.
The law makers understood the nature of the noise: inaudible, low-frequency, vibrating subjects, travelling through thick walls, causing adverse health effects.
This kind of noise is similar to the noise generated by wind turbines which drives people to abandon their homes.
A few weeks ago a Honolulu noise control official performed a noise measurement in my home located in the Ala Moana area and found 54 dB(A) and 64 dB(C), 14dB above safe level. However the officer said there is nothing he can do to bring the noise down to the safe level.
I would appreciate if you help to investigate into the matter and bring this awareness to the general public.

Truly yours,

Quieter O'ahu Response:
Aloha,

We are aware of the dangers to health of inaudible noise, although many are not, and appreciate your taking the time to drop us your email as a reminder. We are happy to publish your email in full on our Noise Blog, and will also provide a reference to our website where we discuss different ways of measuring noise, including the dB(c) measurements, and their meaning.

Please let us know if we can help in any other way.

Mahalo,
Quieter O'ahu

Our Quieter O'ahu web page discussing how noise is measured can be found here. Please explore our website for other relevant information on the nature of noise and its effects on health.
https://www.quieteroahu.com/measuring-noise.html

Pollution Destroys Community Livability - A Letter From Steve Lohse To Civil Beat - Well Worth The Time To Read!

12/30/2019

About Steve Lohse:
Steve Lohse is an environmental scientist with a background in political science, biology, and business.
He is a 20-year resident of Chinatown, a co-founder in 2006 of the Chinatown Gateway Plaza Tenant
Association (CGPTA), and an advocate for grassroots social-economic-environmental sustainability. He
is overly fond of saying, “Think Whole” and “Respect Cause and Effect.”

We are pleased to print his letter to Civil Beat in full.

Take The Time To Comment

Let us know what you think. Are you tired of the noise? Do you have ideas on how to combat the noise? Tell us about it.

Also, use the "Contact A Quieter O'ahu" form (under "About Us" on the menu bar) to let us hear from you. We continue to compile email addresses of those interested in reclaiming quiet for our island to inform of noise and related issues of interest. From time to time Quieter O'ahu may recommend contacting City Council or the Legislator to make your feelings known on a particular noise or related Bill.

TOGETHER we can affect positive change.