It certainly isn't the Sound of Music - The roar of car mufflers gets worse in the summer

By Gazette Staff

June 29th, 2026

BURLINGTON, ON

We hear this complaint frequently.

These are meant to muffle the sound of a car engine – not broadcast it.

Our resident asked us to publish his concern:

I would like to express my concern about the constant loud noises originating from motorcycles and various motor vehicles, whose owners seem to find enjoyment in elevating the noise of their engines on purpose.

These activities increase during evenings and weekends, and the noises are above accepted normal levels. Martha Street has become a racetrack, and it is becoming very annoying !

To be sure, we do tolerate the normal traffic noise typical of a vibrant city downtown. It is part of urban living of course. These engine noises are extreme, and the City needs to do something about it.

I am writing to you in the hope that by publishing this issue, other residents might have some comments, pro or con. I am not sure about any existing bylaws that should address this annoyance, and it sure bothers me and my wife.

I don’t recall ever seeing a police cruiser pull over a noisy car or motorcycle as long as I have lived and worked in Burlington.

We can’t expect the police to be cruising up and down the core streets waiting to hear the roar from a muffler.  But it should be possible to have a plainclothes officer in the area- when he or she hears a sound that is above the accepted limit they would call the cruiser that was in the area, pass along the license number, make and colour of the car and the direction it was travelling.

Wouldn’t take long to recover of the officer’s salary.  Just stand outside the Black Swan on Brant.