Londoners have had enough of ear-splitting, modified mufflers at night

There's traffic noise, there's noise from street racing, and there's the horrible cacophony created by vehicles with mufflers modified or removed entirely. 

Yesterday CBC News reported on complaints related to cars and motorcycles racing through London streets, often after dark. 

You can read that story here. 

Since that story was posted, more than two dozen people shared their frustrations with street-racing noise with CBC London.  

One issue that came up consistently in the complaints received: Excessive muffler noise. Part of a vehicle's exhaust system, mufflers are designed to suppress noise. However, police say some car enthusiasts modify or remove mufflers on their vehicles to increase engine noise. 

A resident of Millbank Drive in south London said this is the time of year when he'd like to keep his windows open at night, but can't because of the noise. 

A resident of the Argyle neighbourhood in East London told CBC News that a traffic-calming bump-out on Admiral Drive is forcing drivers to use Wexford Avenue instead. 

"I have been tempted to change our street name from Wexford Avenue to Wexford Speedway!" she wrote. 

Annie Waugh lives on Highbury Avenue. She accepts that regular traffic noise comes with living on an arterial road, but said the exhaust sounds take the nuisance to a new level. 

"Sometimes it absolutely sounds like things are exploding," she said. "We hear ridiculously loud mufflers. I understand this is a busy road, but there's no call for that." 

Many who wrote to CBC London, said they'd already complained to city hall or members of city council. Some said they were directed to call police. Many of those who called police said they were told to provide details, or photos or video of the vehicles.

How are London police responding? 

CBC News reached out to London Police Service about the problem. 

The forces' supervisor of the Traffic Management Unit is away and not available to be interviewed until next week. However, in an email, a spokesperson for the force said they regularly charge drivers for not having proper mufflers. 

They also said they regularly charge drivers with street racing and driving at excessive speeds. 

Including: 

• On Monday, LPS tweeted that a driver was charged with going 101 km/h on Western Road near Richmond Street where the posted limit is 50 km/h. Police say the driver was charged with stunt driving, the vehicle impounded, and driver's licence seized. 
• On Aug. 26, police say they stopped a driver doing 102 km/h on a section of Oxford Street where the posted limit is 60 km/h. The driver's car was impounded for 14 days, and his licence seized for 30 days, according to police. 

What does the law say? 

Section 75 of Ontario's Highway safety act — you can read it here — mentions excessive vehicle noise but not mufflers specifically. It just says drivers aren't permitted to allow their vehicle to make any excessive noise.

Sometimes municipal noise bylaws come into play. London's noise bylaw mentions mufflers specifically It says vehicles must have a "muffling device in good working order and in constant operation that prevents excessive noises that are loud or explosive." 

Fines under the municipal bylaw range from $175, right up to $25,000 for repeat convictions. 

Sgt. Kerry Schmidt of the OPP said modifying mufflers to make them louder could result in an $85 fine under the Highway Traffic Act. He said such modifications aren't uncommon or new. 

"In motorcycles or cars, they'll take out the muffler itself, they'll take out the resonator, they'll take out the noise-abatement devices that are in the vehicle," he said. 

Last month, Toronto city council asked the province to stiffen the fines for modifying exhaust systems. 

Some have different mufflers installed that make specific noises or even shoot out sparks and flames. 

"That's not the way most people operate a vehicle, but there is a group that thinks that's cool," he said. 

Schmidt said the OPP conducts blitzes focused on noisy cars, but he said it's also part of regular traffic enforcement. 

"We can't be everywhere all the time, but we're certainly carrying out those enforcement actions on a regular basis," he said.