In an Iowan Town, Loud Car Stereos Aren't Dodging the Law
NoisePollution...@webtv.net
Fort Dodge, IA
Friday, October 17
Turn it down — or elseCity officials say loud stereo law is
effectiveBy DAWN THOMPSON Messenger staff writer
Bass still rumbles and thuds on the streets of Fort Dodge.
However, former city council members who voted six years ago to restrict
the volume of car stereo systems believe the loud stereo ordinance has
done its job.
"I think it's worked," said Sharon Hickey, former councilwoman and
current administrative assistance to the mayor. "There are still some
die-hards out there who continue to play their car stereos too loud, but
I don't hear that bass as much anymore."
It was the boom, boom, boom that stirred the most citizen complaints,
she added.
"Cars were going by and rattling dishes in their cupboards," Hickey
said, "and for at least one young man in the community, the sound of
that bass could bring on an epileptic seizure."
Former councilman Dennis O'Farrell has also noticed a decline in the
shimmying and shaking caused by loud car stereos.
"I think the ordinance has done a lot of good," he said. "Word got out
and it has calmed down. I don't hear as much of it as I used to."
When the law was first proposed, O'Farrell said he didn't have strong
feelings about it one way or another.
"They'd go by our house and shake the windows," he said, "but I never
thought much about it until the council started getting citizen
complaints. You'd see these guys on the street and their cars would be
shaking off their wheels. Something had to be done to get a hold of it."
Turning down the volume seemed the best route to go, he said. It didn't
hurt the young people with the systems and it appeased the citizens
being woke up in the middle of the night by the loud racket.
"When you have all kinds of people living together, what's great for you
may not be so great for the other guy," O'Farrell said.
Bill Neavin, owner of Car Audio Specialist, disagrees with the ordinance
and said the law is biased.
"Loud stereos shouldn't be treated any different than a regular noise
nuisance," he said. "It's unfair to single them out when there seems to
be just as many loud mufflers on the streets."
After the ordinance was passed, Neavin said he saw a drop in the number
of parents who were willing to help their teens pay for car stereo
equipment. But that hasn't dampened the kids' interest in enhancing
their systems.
The most popular item Neavin has at the moment is a 3-D dot matrix
compact disc player. It has a large display with picture capabilities,
thrilling the technologically-impressed younger generation.
"It's something cool to show their friends," Neavin said.
However, traditional add-ons like subwoofers and amplifiers are still
the mainstay pieces purchased by all ages of car audio customers,
according to Tony Blomberg with Access Audio and Accessories.
"It's mostly the younger kids who want more bass," he said. "They buy
the subwoofers, but middle-age customers want the amps. They are looking
for more sound quality and will add an amp because it puts more power to
the speakers and it makes it clearer."
Whether its the driving beat of the bass or the clear notes of a melody,
officials said drivers cruising the streets of Fort Dodge have kept it
down.
