Council wants a police crackdown on 'yahoos' with vehicles modded to be extra loud

Hamilton city council is asking police to crack down on "yahoos" with extra loud vehicles, a dynamic it says has gotten worse during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Council voted unanimously Wednesday to ask Hamilton Police Service (HPS) to do an enforcement blitz with people who have modified mufflers on their cars, trucks or motorcycles. People are either removing or modifying their mufflers, says Coun. Tom Jackson of Ward 6 (east Mountain), and it's raising anxieties and decibel levels in neighbourhoods. 

"It allows them to flex human muscles, mental muscles and vehicular muscles," he said. He likened it to "knuckleheads" who have been stunt driving during the pandemic. 

Halton Regional Police Service has launched a similar program, Project #Noisemaker, that will run until Oct. 31. The project will "address concerns of motor vehicles with illegal modifications, unsafe motor vehicles, and aggressive driving," Halton police said in a media release.

The motion from Jackson, who's also on the police services board, passed unanimously among members of the often-divided council.

Maureen Wilson (Ward 1) called the culprits "yahoos," while Jason Farr (Ward 2) said they seem to compensating for "underlying insecurities."

Chad Collins (Ward 5) said on a recent six-kilometre walk, he spotted 13 vehicles that were "most certainly" exceeding the city's noise bylaw. Nrinder Nann (Ward 3) said of the move, "not only is it addressing toxic air, it's addressing toxic masculinity."

Lloyd Ferguson (Ward 12) said some vehicles in Ancaster are so loud that buildings shake as they pass. He recalled walking down the street after visiting Tim Hortons and a passing vehicle causing the coffee to tremble.

"You'll be pretty popular in Ancaster too when this thing passes," he told Jackson.

"It seems to be younger males that do this. Maybe they're too full of testosterone, or it makes them feel like more of a man by making noise."

HPS has noticed an increase and already has ongoing projects in divisions 20 and 30, says Const. Lorraine Edwards. Division 20 covers the lower city, and division 30 covers Flamborough, Dundas, Ancaster, Binbrook/Glanbrook and the Hamilton Mountain.

The matter will be on the police board agenda in July. It asks for "strategic enforcement of excessive or unusual noise from motor vehicles during the summer/fall of 2020." It also asks HPS to partner with city bylaw staff. 

The city's noise bylaw says a vehicle can't have "a radio, amplifier, speaker or other similar device that's clearly audible from eight metres away.

The pandemic has already caused an increase in speeding. HPS said this month that since COVID-19 hit, stunt driving has increased by 195 per cent.