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Zürich voters ban noisy leaf blowers

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Re: Zürich voters ban noisy leaf blowers

#41

Post by snackbroken »

NedF wrote: post #4

> There is also a new restriction for battery-powered models. They may only be used from October to December. If you want to live in nature and in a city you need the tools to manage it. Cutting the trees down is also a valid solution. It's the classic arsehole world we have become, people have to be indignant about everything. For the people who don't create, lazy sloths sitting in their basements, they lash out at…

People managed to keep trees in cities just fine prior to the mid 20th century so I can't imagine it's an insurmountable obstacle. Beyond cutting the trees down, other valid solutions include (but are not limited to) letting the leaves be on the ground by the tree, using a rake, planting tree species with smaller leaves, or allowing the leaves to be picked up by the regular street cleaning trucks.

Trees are really only a lot of work if you insist on keeping a grotesquely unnatural manicured garden; the only tree I've got that's any significant amount work is an apple tree that would turn half the yard to a rotten apple tripping hazard if you didn't pick them up. A couple more need trimming every few years to keep a path clear, but I would chalk that up to user error in choosing to plant them slightly too close to the path.

Contrary to what the "just tough it out" types would have you believe, noise pollution does cause appreciable harm to public health. Making lots of noise in a dense neighborhood where thousands of people live is just not worth the marginal efficiency improvement of blowing vs raking leaves. Tangentially, this is also one of several reasons why speed limits should be 30km/h in cities to limit rolling noise.

Re: Zürich voters ban noisy leaf blowers

#44

Post by unglaublich »

masklinn wrote: post #13
pferde wrote: post #2

Cool, now do loud motorbikes in cities. Those things, several times louder than cars, should be illegal anywhere but on isolated highways.

Switzerland has noise ordnances, and like other traffic related offenses they are aggressively enforced. Aftermarket mods, revving your engine, or late shifting can net you a cool 5 figures fine.

Sadly, it's barely enforced.

Re: Zürich voters ban noisy leaf blowers

#46

Post by jstummbillig »

lelanthran wrote: post #19
NedF wrote: post #4

> There is also a new restriction for battery-powered models. They may only be used from October to December. If you want to live in nature and in a city you need the tools to manage it. Cutting the trees down is also a valid solution. It's the classic arsehole world we have become, people have to be indignant about everything. For the people who don't create, lazy sloths sitting in their basements, they lash out at…

You don't need a leaf blower to collect up the leaves in a reasonable time. We've managed to maintain cities with trees for hundreds of years without leaf blowers, and have owned one I can confirm that it cuts maybe 20% of the time over simply using a rake.

I find the the historic argument to be not so great, when trying to argue the current state of the world. In the 1950s we "managed" 5% child mortality rate (in developed countries). Trees are not kids, but the point is: If something has not changed for a few decades, that's probably something you would want to look at and see what can be improved.

Granted though, leaf blowers ain't it. We are way too lenient regarding noise pollution.

Re: Zürich voters ban noisy leaf blowers

#47

Post by herbst »

holowoodman wrote: post #38
intsunny wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

100000% Agree. Here in Germany, I'm convinced the Police simply don't care about motorcycles with modified mufflers. The sound is deafening. In the last decade the noise has gotten worse and worse. Once one of those small penis motorcycle owners saw that I was covering my three year old child's ears as he passed by, and only then did he put his bike into neutral and walked it by us.

Problem with motorcycles in Germany is, they are usually too fast for the police to catch with their car, and the helmet prevents usable photos of the driver. But unfortunately the laws require that the driver committing the speed/noise/redlight offense is identified and fined, fining the owner by license plate doesn't work (except if the bike was modified).

Is that why some YouTubers started to make ads for a "sue your motorcycle speeding tickets invalid" company as if this is really working, because it is?

Germany has such a specific way of making laws with holes.

Re: Zürich voters ban noisy leaf blowers

#49

Post by unglaublich »

4gotunameagain wrote: post #29

It would be nice if we could solve our problems in a nice and civil way, and to be considerate to one another instead of making things illegal. But then again, we are talking about a country where in many buildings you are not allowed to shower after 9pm.. Or take out the glass to the recycling on sundays..

A democratic vote and a clear regulation isn't a "civilized way"?

In a free society, where the default is "allowed", the only lever that you have is restriction.

We can also turn it around, we prohibit everything unless it's explicitly allowed. Then people don't have to complain so much about "too many prohibiting rules".

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