Toronto police cracking down on noisy drivers

Revving your motorcycle too loud, or roaring your car engine too much? A Toronto police blitz is underway starting in Yorkville trying to cut down on unnecessary street noise.

The Awareness and Enforcement for Unnecessary Noise campaign, which was launched on Monday night, will target drivers honking horns, having excessively loud mufflers, revving motorcycles, blasting their car radio, as well as those stunt driving and squealing their tires.

Tickets will range from $110 to $155 depending on the offence.

Mayor John Tory said that regardless of the reason, the noise is inexcusable.

“My wife has explained this many times to me as being simply an outcropping of the inadequacies that certain people feel — mostly men who drive these cars around. I will go no further than that. But I will say that whatever you think the motive is, there can be no real explanation,” he said.

Starting on Oct. 1, a new noise bylaw will come into effect, giving licensing officers more power to deal with noisy drivers. Noise in and around construction sites will not be a part of the new bylaw to take effect in October.