Noise Abatement Program Could Be Extended To The City Of Frederick

A bill to do so was discussed last Friday by the Legislative Delegation.Delegate Kris FairFrederick, Md (KM) Local legislators last Friday discussed a bill to bring the noise abatement systems to the city of Frederick. They are currently in operation in Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties, and are intended to control noisy motor vehicles on the roads.One of the bill’s sponsors is Frederick County Delegate Kris Fair. “This was brought to us by citizens that live in the downtown in the city of Frederick. It was brought to the Mayor’s office as well to the Chief of Police’s office as a novel idea for looking at noise abatement for vehicles,” he says.Fair said machines would be placed in various locations around the city to detect the offending vehicle. “At which time then, a video of the vehicle is taken. It is then analyzed by a sworn officer. And if they are found to be not in compliance with noise codes throughout the city, they would be issued a citation.  It’s a pretty straightforward bill,”: he says.Citizens who live in downtown Frederick have complained about noisy vehicles, particularly those with loud mufflers, who drag race down Market Street late at night.  “The city of Frederick residents have come to us and unequivocally stated that they would like to see something put in place to protect them,”  says Fair.A vote on whether to make this measure a delegation bill is expected at this Friday’s meeting.Before they decide, a few legislators say they wanted to hear from the Mayor or another representative from the City of Frederick. One was Delegate Chris Bouchat, who represents Frederick and Carroll Counties. “What is it like a Friday or Saturday night, teenagers doing  hot rods on Market Street. What is the impetus behind this bill? What exactly is going on? I’d like to hear from someone in  the city, That would be helpful,” he said.Another legislator  who wanted to hear from the City was Delegate April Miller. “When the authorizing bill came through last year, a lot of us had a lot of concerns. So yes. I think having either the Mayor or someone on here that would be able alleviate some of those concerns that we had on how it would be implemented would be helpful,” she said.The other sponsors of this bill are Delegates Ken Kerr and Karen Simpson.The bill  would also extend the period for the noise abatement systems in Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties to June 30th, 2027.By Kevin McManus