Okotoks plans to throttle up education and data collection efforts when it comes to noisy vehicles on the town’s streets.
A public awareness campaign focusing on noise mitigation was approved by Town council during their meeting on Sept. 9. The campaign will kick off in early 2025 with a one-year pilot project that includes public education and sound monitoring.
Coun. Rachel Swendseid said she hopes the pilot sends a message to anyone interested in street racing or modifying their vehicle for sound.
“Okotoks is not the place for that,” she said. “Our residents do deserve peace and quiet while they sleep or while they are outside in the summer months."
The public education campaign will aim to raise awareness about the implications of producing objectionable noise and how noise complaints can be reported, said Municipal Enforcement manager Vik Kulkarni.
Mayor Tanya Thorn encouraged residents to provide as much information as they can if they make a noise complaint.
“It really is around the data collection,” Thorn said.
“In order to collect the data, we need the community to make those phone calls,” she said.
To help gather noise data during the pilot, the Town will use a sound pressure level metre to measure the decibel level of noise.
Kulkarni said similar devices are being used in Red Deer and stats there show a decrease year-over-year in noise-related issues.
“We want to try it here before we come back to you and propose if there are further investments needed,” he said.
During the campaign, information will be shared about the Town’s traffic and community standards bylaws and about the Alberta Traffic Act.
Necessary details, including bylaw changes to align with the City of Calgary’s rules for objectionable noise, will be brought back to council in November for approval before the campaign begins.
Okotoks Municipal Enforcement will not require any extra funding for the project and can include the pilot in its current operating budget.
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