Let them use rakes!
The City of South Miami has a new noise ordinance against leaf blowers. It is in regard to "noise-creating blowers, power fans, or internal combustion engines" and speaks to the "offenses" and establishes penalties.
The commission voted 5-0 in favor of the new ordinance. Now if we could just get their lawn guys to stop blowing the leaves into the street. I never understood that part of it.
Here's what the ordinance says:
It will be unlawful to operate, or cause to be operated, any powered yard maintenance equipment including lawn mowers, lawn edgers, weed trimmers, leaf blowers, chain saws, chippers, stump grinders, pressure washers, compressors, out-of-doors except as provided below:
(1) Commercial operations are only permitted on weekdays from 8:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. and on Saturdays after 9 am and until 2 pm. No operations are permitted at any time on Sundays and any legal holidays.
(2) Non-commercial operations are only permitted on weekdays from 8:00 a.m. until 30 minutes after sunset and on Saturdays, Sundays and any legal holiday from 9:00 a.m. until 30 minutes after sunset
WHEREAS, City residents are entitled to peace and quiet at night and on the weekends and holidays; and
WHEREAS, the use of loud, mechanized yard maintenance equipment has the potential to interrupt sleep and enjoyment of one's yard, and
WHEREAS, residents who work may have no other time except weekends to take care of their yards; and
WHEREAS, certain commercial grade equipment is often larger and louder than consumer grade equipment, even when the engines are properly muffled; and
WHEREAS, mechanized leaf blowers have been shown to cause respiratory problems by blowing dust and mold particles into the air, and
WHEREAS, mechanized leaf blowers make particularly annoying and penetrating sounds; and
WHEREAS, no economic harm to lawn services has been demonstrated in communities where leaf blowers have been banned outright.
The commission voted 5-0 in favor of the new ordinance. Now if we could just get their lawn guys to stop blowing the leaves into the street. I never understood that part of it.
Here's what the ordinance says:
It will be unlawful to operate, or cause to be operated, any powered yard maintenance equipment including lawn mowers, lawn edgers, weed trimmers, leaf blowers, chain saws, chippers, stump grinders, pressure washers, compressors, out-of-doors except as provided below:
(1) Commercial operations are only permitted on weekdays from 8:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. and on Saturdays after 9 am and until 2 pm. No operations are permitted at any time on Sundays and any legal holidays.
(2) Non-commercial operations are only permitted on weekdays from 8:00 a.m. until 30 minutes after sunset and on Saturdays, Sundays and any legal holiday from 9:00 a.m. until 30 minutes after sunset
WHEREAS, City residents are entitled to peace and quiet at night and on the weekends and holidays; and
WHEREAS, the use of loud, mechanized yard maintenance equipment has the potential to interrupt sleep and enjoyment of one's yard, and
WHEREAS, residents who work may have no other time except weekends to take care of their yards; and
WHEREAS, certain commercial grade equipment is often larger and louder than consumer grade equipment, even when the engines are properly muffled; and
WHEREAS, mechanized leaf blowers have been shown to cause respiratory problems by blowing dust and mold particles into the air, and
WHEREAS, mechanized leaf blowers make particularly annoying and penetrating sounds; and
WHEREAS, no economic harm to lawn services has been demonstrated in communities where leaf blowers have been banned outright.
posted by Tom Falco at 5:00 AM
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8 Comments:
Prices just went up!!!! Good job complainers
It's a start, but the noise, pollution will still be there most of the time anyway!!
In the Grove, and elsewhere, the stupid Leaf-Blowers and other machines start raging precisely around that time, after 8am on weekdays, and then all morning. Not many on Saturdays or Sundays anyway.
So what will be different?! Politics, as usual, completely detached from reality.
And yes, what's the USE of making all the noise and fuss blowing leaves from one spot to the next, everyday, when 15 mins. later the wind blows the same leaves around again? And there are bad blowers and then, even worse ones! The old, motorized blowers should be completely illegal any day. There's much quieter technology available.
Europe, as usual, is way ahead on this issue too. Botton line, line has changed, unless you have a stupid neighbor who likes to blow leaves around on Sunday mornings.
I wouldn't call that ordinance a ban on anything. They've just restricted the times when that equipment could be operated.
Does this ordinance apply to developers and construction companies operating noisy equipment??????
On four separate occasions, over a period of about 3 years, either the home owner or their lawn maintenance contractor blew their leaves and yard debris across the road onto my property. On each occasion I use my hose power nozzle to blow it back. One incident resulted in my being attacked; one with a rock rake with several dozens 3" like nails, another by a neighbor who observed me observing him blow his yard debris into another neighbors yard, so he walked down to my home and challenged me to a fist fight, resulting in him calling the police on me - he was arrested. Another neighbor told his yard maintenance crew to place his trimmed tree debris on my property, right in front of my boat which I use daily. The 4th one, well none of this went well for these four neighbors and they learned to be more respectful to their neighbors. Daily, I observe 1/2 dozen or so crews blow leaving into the street, which cost a ton of money to remove from our Grove French drains. And life goes on!
So how does Europe deal with this issue??
Poor guy on comment before me. Called a Bad neighbor who almost makes where you live not that great and I am sure it is pretty good place to live. From the streets that get chopped up by bad street repair jobs, (asphalt) blow the stuff the other way way, I do believe the manpower is there if they could just fine these guys over 100 bucks. Have you seen it happen. Most of the people who take care of yards have no concern for that stuff.
I live in the City of South Miami (work in the Grove) and I have to say I don't even see why this ordinance is needed. At least in my area, it's quiet and peaceful and I have not seen any issues. VERY different from when I lived in the Grove.
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