Companies supply after-market exhaust systems for motorcycles. They make products which offer “awesome sound and maximum power... baffles and decibel limiters available.”
This below is what some motorcyclists have said, online, when interviewed about motorcycle noise.
“...you should knock it right down in towns and villages; high gear, low revs, an almost religious adherence to speed limits, no throttle blipping”
“...you have to be more socially aware about the noise you make nowadays, it can be horrible for village residents.”
Almost everyone in Wendover will agree with the comments of these riders.
But people in Wendover recovering from a hard week at work on Saturday and Sunday mornings have been jolted awake by the screaming sound of motorcycles on the A413 bypass for much of this this summer.
And many Wendover gardens lost their traditional summer functions as places to entertain friends, grow plants and make play spaces for children and became places only suitable for listening to, but not watching, motorcycle racing.
Probably these motorcyclists would be embarrassed to know that they can be heard very loud right into the middle of Wendover.
Not all however. Some glory in the noise, some motorcyclists and also even car motorists drive right through the centre of Wendover with loud, modified exhausts.
Again, it is not entirely their fault. There is a some unclarity around what levels of sound, and what types of exhaust technology are legally permitted. There is also a great deal of persuasive advertising and encouragement to buy this type of add-on after-market technology for one’s new car or bike.
All very hard for the novice biker or newly licensed car owner to resist and to remember to use responsibly.
It is undoubtedly the case that along with the noise come illegality. Speeding, Racing and Drifting all add public danger to the noise nuisance.
Certainly Wendover Parish Council, responding to widely voiced public concerns, would like to get your views on the subject. Please let us know of your experiences this summer with exhaust noise in and around Wendover and your thoughts on how to get the problem tackled. The problem may be less in the winter months but we would like to try to make sure it does not happen again next summer.
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