Quieter O'ahu <quieteroahu@gmail.com>
to Mark, hashem2, hashem1-Kenneth, Kathy
Aloha Representative Hashem,
Just wanted to provide you a quick update on our petition supporting HB225. We have passed the 125 signatures mark for our petition and feel confident that over the next couple of weeks we will cross the 200 signature mark.
We appreciate your efforts to advance this bill. As you have doubtlessly seen from petition signer comments, the residents of O'ahu have had their fill of out-of-control noise by the few that would disrupt quality of life for the many. It must stop. While HB225 alone will likely not achieve complete mitigation of unneccessary loud noise, it is a good start.
I've attached a markup of HB225 with our comments on how the language might be improved. Specifically, we have numerous ordinances and statues on the books today that are not enforced by HPD because they use a decibel standard for measuring offenses. HPD is quick to point out that they do not have measurement equipment, nor personnel trained in the use of measurement equipment, nor do they plan to acquire equipment and train their officers. We suggest adoption of language used in "The Plainly Audible Standard" which is increasingly gaining in popularity in municipalities across the mainland. It simply require that noise be heard at or beyond a given distance from the source to constitute an offense. Below are links to the plainly audible standard, and we provide a link to the New York City Noise Guidelines for examples of how it has been implemented there.
Mahalo again for your support of this legislation. We hope to generate sufficient numbers to convince the legislature that O'ahu and Hawai'i resident have had enough of this excessive motorcycle, motor scooter, moped, and automobile noise.
A Quieter O'ahu
Our Petition:
https://www.change.org/p/support-hawaii-bill-hb225-to-s-t-o-p-the-out-of-control-noise-from-motorcycles-scooters-mopeds
The Plainly Audible Standard: http://www.noisefree.org/boomcars/Plainly-Audible-Noise-Ordinance-Standard.pdf
New York City Noise Guide: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/pdf/noise_code_guide.pdf