A group of Matthiasville residents have had it with noisy neighbours and late-night burnouts.
During the most recent Bracebridge General committee meeting, councillors considered a request from Matthiasville residents to update the town’s noise bylaw to help quash problems in their area.
In their letter to council, the residents stated that certain people in the neighbourhood have been blasting music, revving up their vehicles and burning rubber down Matthiasville Road at all hours of the night. The letter stated that they have made multiple calls to the bylaw department as well as the OPP, with little success.
They asked council to change the bylaw to add, “operation of a stationary and/or moving motor vehicle in such a way that tires squeal is prohibited,” and , “operation of any combustion engine stationary and/or moving without an effective exhaust muffling device in good working order and in constant operation is prohibited.”
While councillors were largely sympathetic to the cause, they also said there was little they could do under the current system.
Coun. Mark Quimby was one of several councillors who agreed that the issue was one of enforcement. The bylaws to govern such unruly behaviour are already in place but the Town simply doesn’t have the manpower to enforce them on evenings and weekends, he said. As many of the Incidents take place in the middle of the night there is little that can be done with the currently available resources.
Mayor Graydon Smith echoed that sentiment and said he had spoken with the concerned parties and understood their frustration.
Coun. Rick Maloney pointed out that it appears the people causing the problems are already violating laws under the Highway Traffic Act, and as such, could be dealt with by the OPP.
The Bracebridge bylaw department confirmed that they are not legally allowed to stop a moving vehicle.
In the end, Bracebridge Town staff were asked to take a closer look at the issue and report back to council with their findings.
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