Although the loud pipes have once again proven to be a hot-button issue this summer (Toronto’s cracking down, now), CBC is reporting Quebec’s provincial police aren’t too fussed about the topic.
According to the CBC, the Sûreté du Québec now has authorization from the Highway Safety Code to use decibel meters to enforce vehicle noise regulations, as a result of a five-year-long pilot project study. Yet, despite a constant press from individual municipalities in Quebec to ban loud pipes, the province-wide force isn’t overly concerned with the issue.
The Sûreté only has six decibel meters in the whole province, and is not acquiring any more, according to Radio-Canada. A police captain told CBC this was because vehicle sound is an annoyance, but not a safety hazard. That’s a considerably different message from what you get in places like Quebec City, which has banned motorcycles from the Old City sector due to ongoing noise problems.
Currently, Quebec’s traffic laws prohibit riders from modifying their exhaust in any way to make their bikes louder than standard, and offending motorcyclists can be fined $200 to $300.
