A petition to enforce the existing laws on motorcycle noise and speed has been presented to Kootenay West MLA Katrine Conroy by organizers Gloria Lisgo of New Denver and Art Mason of Kaslo. The petition has 4,252 signatures. Of these, 3,644 (86 per cent) were Kootenay residents and another 608 (14 per cent) signatures were tourists.
“We are very encouraged to have received so many signatures in such a short time,” says Mason. “With a few more months’ work, we could have greatly increased the number of signatures, but we believed the important thing now is to get it moving to the legislature.
“It’s important to remember we are only asking for enforcement of existing laws on muffler noise and speed limits.”
Lisgo, a retired registered nurse and hospital nursing co-ordinator, launched the petition after calling a community meeting in New Denver.
“A petition provides a sample of people who recognize a problem that needs to be corrected,” says Lisgo. “We were mainly focused on signatures from regional residents, but we also allowed some tourists to sign, to show that noise is a concern to them. There was no lack of tourists wanting to sign.
“We believe that the noise from a high concentration of motorcycles in summer degrades the pleasant atmosphere of our towns. Most people who come here are looking for peace and quiet amidst a natural setting, but I’ve gathered information on studies that show that sudden, loud noise is very stressful to people. I believe it degrades the tourism appeal of our towns.”
Conroy will present the petition to the BC legislature. The results will also be presented to all local governments in the Kootenays, encouraging their support, and the RCMP as well.