Photo credit: Thomas Good licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
by Arline L. Bronzaft, Ph.D., Board of Directors, GrowNYC, and Co-founder, The Quiet Coalition
Shant Shahrigian’s article on New York City mayoral candidate Scott Stringer’s recent press conference to discuss city noise was titled “Quiet! NYC mayoral hopeful Scott Stringer promises to crack down on annoying noise.” As many of us already know, New York City Comptroller Stringer noted that “excessive decibels can cause high blood pressure, memory problems and other woes.” That is, noise is not a “niche” issue nor is it just “annoying.” Noise is hazardous to mental and physical health as the research linking noise to health has strongly demonstrated. All public officials seeking office in New York City should be aware of the hazards of noise to its city’s residents.
In addition to promising to ban nonessential helicopter flights, Stringer added that he would also work to “crack down on illegal dirt bikes” and advocate for quieter ambulance sirens. One hopes that Stringer’s comments will lead other candidates in the mayoral race to comment on their plans to reduce noise in a city that has seen its already high noise complaints rise even more during 2020. With noise complaints high on the list of calls to 311, and the finding by New York State Comptroller DiNapoli in his 2018 report that most New York residents who call 311 are dissatisfied with the way their noise complaints were handled, it is essential that the next mayor pay greater attention to the noise issue.
Paying attention to noise involves more than being aware of the issue. Simply put, it requires knowledge of existing noise regulations and proposed recommendations for strengthening existing legislation as well as recognizing that the enforcement agencies overseeing noise rules, e. g. Department of Environment and Protection, Police Precincts, must have the wherewithal to enforce city rules governing noise.
I hope citizen groups combating noise pollution will be sought out by candidates seeking public office for their input as they give thought to how to reduce noise in their communities.
