NOISE!

[JG]

BBC article talks about how New York City has a new noise code and a Quality of Life Hotline to report violators. To work here, officials would have to actually take action when people called and not accept bribes from offenders. I reported a disco that allowed smoking everywhere and didnt provide any nonsmoking area, i cant say whether they paid a bribe, but lets say my complaint was never investigated.
BBC article at ........ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6272982.stm
AND showing that any system designed by humans isnt perfect, there is this I copied from a recent NY Times article. But, one difference perhaps is that the city wont sit by with arms folded, the mayor has control over the city police force (unlike in BA) and he will no doubt have this law enforced.
"Spokesmen for the police and the city’s Department of Environmental Protection, the two agencies that will enforce the noise law, declined to say yesterday whether any summonses had been issued. Michael Saucier, a spokesman for the environmental department, which has assigned 45 agents to noise code enforcement, said some form of accounting of the first day’s complaints and enforcement activity would be released today.
But in a spot check in several neighborhoods that have long been heavy sources of noise complaints, there was no evidence of any special patrols, and the police in some cases appeared to ignore violations.
In Washington Heights, three police cars were parked about 2 p.m. on St. Nicholas Avenue near 189th Street when a car passed by slowly, its sound system throbbing. The new code stipulates that amplified sound from a car, either moving or parked, is too loud if it can be heard 25 feet away, and the car on St. Nicholas Avenue could be heard much farther away than that.
None of the officers responded."

 

[syngirl]

JG I hope when you buy this apartment you're buying out in Villa del Parque or the more tranquil areas of Urquiza, Nunez etc
If you buy in San Telmo or Palermo, or pretty much any area of the centre of the city and then start complaining the noise, you will no longer be allowed to complain about the noise, because it will have been your own choice to inundate yourself in it : )

 

[JG]

Ive been all over Argentina, the cars are noisy everywhere. the country is a very noisy country. very. One car can shake your whole house and its allowed since nothing is controlled. Im told that the cars with no headlights are actually legal if you can believe that.
The incredible high level of noise is inexcusable in my opinion and little or nothing is being done about it. Argentina is a very noisy country.

 

[tangobob]

I am afraid noise is something you need to get used to in any spanish speaking country. There was a very good program,again BBC, called Talk Spanish, the comentator was showing a wildlife park in Spain. Perfect peace and tranquility, except, at the back of the boat a group af girls were clapping and stamping their feet and making load flamenco noises. To quote, "it is as if the silence is threatening to them"

 

[JG]

I'm downtown at the moment and there is no way anyone can tell me that these busses, one after another, dont sound as loud as any jet aircraft taking off at the airport. its just intolerable. It snowed one day, but the noise of this poorly run city continues. Noise as loud as airplane engines and im inside a thick stone building. I dred the hour of having to go outside....there goes another one, its a torturous sound.
Yes, its true what the previous poster said about latin american countries in general having this in common. however, nations like Brazil and Chile just to name 2 are passing arg. by. Argentines think theyre the best? not sure how they ever got that idea, i cant name one thing they are best at, perhaps undeserved bragging and tolerating intolerable levels of noise.
If Macri does what he said today in Clarin and puts public transport back under city control, do you think it will make any difference? i have no idea, but its worth a try. However, the biggest defect is just NOT imposing any control. isnt it that simple? They have an agency for this, its located downtown ironically, and i often go past it on a bus that roars, screams, shakes buildings. The irony seems lost on the govt. officials inside. Perhaps, they do the typical argentine shoulder shrug that goes "what can you do?"

 

[bigbadwolf]

I'm downtown at the moment and there is no way anyone can tell me that these busses, one after another, dont sound as loud as any jet aircraft taking off at the airport. its just intolerable. It snowed one day, but the noise of this poorly run city continues. Noise as loud as airplane engines and im inside a thick stone building. I dred the hour of having to go outside....there goes another one, its a torturous sound.

Schopenhauer once said intelligence is inversely related to one's tolerance for noise, so I suppose this says something about Argentines. Third world countries tend to be noisy. Have you thought of earplugs? I use them in noisy environments, and I'd say they reduce noise by 20-30 decibels. Long-term exposure to loud noise will cause hearing impairment.

 

[Elpanada]

Wearing earplugs in the street would be a drag I mean you wouldn't be able to hear people that might want to talk to you without pulling them out and they also tend to get uncomfortable after a while.Not sure if you meant that comment about intelligence as a joke or not but it is my opinion that it was an unnecessary and a tasteless comment.

 

[Grazie]

Good to see you BBW. Yes I travel in Asia frequently and 3rd worlds do tend to be noisy. I guess you just live with it since you cannot single handedly do anything really. And the ones that are here grew up with this ruckus, what noise others ask - you gotta be kiddin' me with this question right? But some of them really do not hear the noise. They are conditioned to it. Believe it or not.

 

[JG]

What do you think of Macri's proposal? i read the article quickly, but it seemed to say returning control of public transpor, subway and busses, to city control. i dont know how this works when so many lines begin and end in the province, outside city authority.
Didnt someone here point out that Macri is the owner of the Plaza bus company? they have many lines. its a red bus, no doubt youve seen them spewing black smoke filling the street and screaming a deafening scream. So, his proposal has more of a tint of irony to it, dont you think?
Do you think removing public transport from private control will make a difference?

 

[syngirl]

I think putting buses under central control in theory sounds like a good idea -- it would make it easier to regulate safety wise etc.
I think to really see a difference they need to raise the fares on the buses so that they can upgrade the fleets. Even a 5 centavo raise across the board would hopefully make a difference. Fares have been frozen since 2002 as far as I understand...