PermaScan.com
Maine Citizens Against Loud Motorcycles
A grassroots coalition of Maine residents dedicated to bringing peace & quiet to our streets & neighborhoods by passing & enforcing state laws & local ordinances to assure that motorcycles run legally
and quietly in Maine.
and quietly in Maine.
M E C A L M
©Maine Citizens Against Loud Motorcylces
TO ALL MAINE BIKERS:
MECALM asks bikers to ride safely, lawfully, and respectfully.
TO MAINE DRIVERS OF CARS, TRUCKS & SUVs:
Please respect the rights & safety of motorcyclists. Take extra care, especially when changing lanes & turning. Look twice. Double check your mirrors. Pay attention & don't drive while distracted.
MECALM supports the rights of all Mainers to freedom from disruptive motorcycle noise, as well as the right of Maine's motorcyclists to ride in safety.
MECALM asks bikers to ride safely, lawfully, and respectfully.
TO MAINE DRIVERS OF CARS, TRUCKS & SUVs:
Please respect the rights & safety of motorcyclists. Take extra care, especially when changing lanes & turning. Look twice. Double check your mirrors. Pay attention & don't drive while distracted.
MECALM supports the rights of all Mainers to freedom from disruptive motorcycle noise, as well as the right of Maine's motorcyclists to ride in safety.
GOVERNOR SIGNS BILL REQUIRING INSPECTION STICKERS FOR MOTORCYCLES IN 2012; TASK FORCE WILL STUDY SOUND METERS & METHODS TO QUIET LOUD BIKES
Here is the actual wording of LD1675:
" . . . The certificate of inspection must be kept with the registration certificate of the motorcycle and the official inspection sticker must be affixed to the rear of the motorcycle:
A. On a mounting plate that must be securely fastened to the motorcycle frame or similar integral component of the motorcycle; or
B. On a rear fender or similar frame or integral body part of the motorcycle.
The official inspection sticker must be located so that it is completely and clearly visible from the rear of the motorcycle and may not be affixed to the registration plate.
" . . . The certificate of inspection must be kept with the registration certificate of the motorcycle and the official inspection sticker must be affixed to the rear of the motorcycle:
A. On a mounting plate that must be securely fastened to the motorcycle frame or similar integral component of the motorcycle; or
B. On a rear fender or similar frame or integral body part of the motorcycle.
The official inspection sticker must be located so that it is completely and clearly visible from the rear of the motorcycle and may not be affixed to the registration plate.
Maine Governor John Baldacci on April 9, 2010 signed LD 1675 into law, requiring the state's 50,000 registered motorycles to carry inspection stickers that are "completely and clearly visible from the rear" starting in 2012. Fully 42% are never inspected, and MECALM believes many of those would fail because they lack a legal quiet muffler. The bill was written by the committee after being introduced at MECALM's behest by Sen. Nancy Sullivan (D-Biddeford). She introduced a "concept draft" to start the discussion. The focus on inspection and the final wording were developed by the Transportation Committee in consultation with Maine State Police.
The bill also sets up a task force to explore other methods of reducing motorcycle noise, including EPA exhaust labeling and sound testing, and report to the Transportation Committee by January 15, 2011.
LD1675 passed the Maine House by a vote of 104-33 on March 22. The Senate passed it April 5.
MECALM believes this bill is an important first step, but may have limited impact because it's easy to install a bike's original quiet muffler for inspection, then immediately swap it out for an illegally loud altered or after-market exhaust system.
The bill also sets up a task force to explore other methods of reducing motorcycle noise, including EPA exhaust labeling and sound testing, and report to the Transportation Committee by January 15, 2011.
LD1675 passed the Maine House by a vote of 104-33 on March 22. The Senate passed it April 5.
MECALM believes this bill is an important first step, but may have limited impact because it's easy to install a bike's original quiet muffler for inspection, then immediately swap it out for an illegally loud altered or after-market exhaust system.
Kennebunkport, Maine hopes bikers will voluntarily heed signs like this one posted on Rt 9. (May 2010 photo)
JULY 2010 LAW CHANGE MAKES IT EASIER FOR POLICE TO STOP AND TICKET LOUD BIKES
Law enforcement officers in Maine gained a new law on July 12, 2010 making it easier to cite loud exhaust system on all vehicles -- cars, trucks, and motorcycles. LD 1642 clarifies that the longstanding law banning "excessive or unusual noise" to mean exhaust noise that is "noticeably louder than similar vehicles in the environment." A number of Maine communities, notably Waterville, have begun enforcing the clarified law. The fine for a violation is $137.
Lt. Brian Scott, head of the Maine State Police Traffic Unit, outlined the law changes -- and reviewed existing laws on motorcycle noise -- in a June 22, 2010 memo to all Maine law enforcement officers, vehicle inspectors and inspection stations.
In a May 2010 meeting with MECALM supporters, Lt. Scott said the changes should make it easier to obtain a conviction for a loud altered exhaust. In the past, a ticket was thrown out when the biker testified that he altered his bike to enhance performance, not "to amplify" sound. Those two words have been removed, eliminating any question about intent. Amplification is now the issue, regardless of intent.
Also at the meeting was the head of the Maine State Police, Col. Patrick Fleming, who briefed local police departments on the changes at the June meeting of the Maine Chiefs of Police Association.
Here's a good article from the Morning Sentinel (6/14/2010) on rollout of enforcement of the change and a column on enforcement by Portland Press Herald's Bill Nemitz.
Here is the law as amended by LD 1642.
1. Muffler required. A person may not operate a motor vehicle unless that vehicle is equipped with an adequate muffler properly maintained to prevent excessive or unusual noise. For purposes of this subsection, “excessive or unusual noise” includes motor noise emitted by a motor vehicle that is noticeably louder than similar vehicles in the environment.
Sec. 2. 29-A MRSA §1912, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 and affected by Pt. B, §5, is amended to read:
3. Amplification prohibited. A person may not operate a motor vehicle with an exhaust system that has been modified <the words "to amplify" are deleted at this point> when the result of that modification is the amplification or increase of <the word "of" replaces "the" at this point> noise emitted by the motor above that emitted by the muffler originally installed on the vehicle."
Law enforcement officers in Maine gained a new law on July 12, 2010 making it easier to cite loud exhaust system on all vehicles -- cars, trucks, and motorcycles. LD 1642 clarifies that the longstanding law banning "excessive or unusual noise" to mean exhaust noise that is "noticeably louder than similar vehicles in the environment." A number of Maine communities, notably Waterville, have begun enforcing the clarified law. The fine for a violation is $137.
Lt. Brian Scott, head of the Maine State Police Traffic Unit, outlined the law changes -- and reviewed existing laws on motorcycle noise -- in a June 22, 2010 memo to all Maine law enforcement officers, vehicle inspectors and inspection stations.
In a May 2010 meeting with MECALM supporters, Lt. Scott said the changes should make it easier to obtain a conviction for a loud altered exhaust. In the past, a ticket was thrown out when the biker testified that he altered his bike to enhance performance, not "to amplify" sound. Those two words have been removed, eliminating any question about intent. Amplification is now the issue, regardless of intent.
Also at the meeting was the head of the Maine State Police, Col. Patrick Fleming, who briefed local police departments on the changes at the June meeting of the Maine Chiefs of Police Association.
Here's a good article from the Morning Sentinel (6/14/2010) on rollout of enforcement of the change and a column on enforcement by Portland Press Herald's Bill Nemitz.
Here is the law as amended by LD 1642.
1. Muffler required. A person may not operate a motor vehicle unless that vehicle is equipped with an adequate muffler properly maintained to prevent excessive or unusual noise. For purposes of this subsection, “excessive or unusual noise” includes motor noise emitted by a motor vehicle that is noticeably louder than similar vehicles in the environment.
Sec. 2. 29-A MRSA §1912, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 and affected by Pt. B, §5, is amended to read:
3. Amplification prohibited. A person may not operate a motor vehicle with an exhaust system that has been modified <the words "to amplify" are deleted at this point> when the result of that modification is the amplification or increase of <the word "of" replaces "the" at this point> noise emitted by the motor above that emitted by the muffler originally installed on the vehicle."
Responding to citizen complaints, the town of Kennebunk, Maine put up a number of signs around town in 2010, including this one on Route 1. Several of the signs were immediately stolen (post and all) but some remain. MECALM gets inquiries from all over the country about the source for these signs. Kennebunk's were custom-ordered from Perma-Line of Brockton, MA (www.perma-line.com) but a simple internet search will reveal many sources for road signs.
Sec. 3. Working group; motorcycle noise. The Department of Public Safety, Bureau of State Police shall convene a working group to study issues relating to motorcycle noise. The working group must include, but is not limited to, representatives from affected citizen groups, local municipalities, the motorcycle industry, motorcycle enthusiast groups and local law enforcement agencies. The working group shall investigate and research industry sound testing standards, particularly the Society of Automotive Engineers Standard J2825, "Measurement of Exhaust Sound Pressure Levels of Stationary On-Highway Motorcycles," and the feasibility of incorporating United States Environmental Protection Agency noise emission labeling standards into state law. The report of the working group must include an analysis of motorcycle safety inspections and a requirement that an inspection sticker be displayed visibly on the motorcycle. The Bureau of State Police shall report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over transportation matters, with findings and recommendations, no later than January 15, 2011.
Sec. 4. Effective date. Those sections of this Act that amend the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 29-A, section 1758 take effect January 1, 2012.’
SUMMARY
This amendment requires that, effective January 1, 2012, an inspection sticker for a motorcycle be affixed to the rear of the motorcycle either on a mounting plate or on a rear fender or similar frame or body part of the motorcycle. The amendment also directs the Department of Public Safety, Bureau of State Police to convene a working group to study the issue of motorcycle noise, including, but not limited to, industry sound testing standards, United States Environmental Protection Agency labeling guidelines for noise emissions, and motorcycle safety inspection requirements and to report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over transportation matters by January 15, 2011."
Sec. 4. Effective date. Those sections of this Act that amend the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 29-A, section 1758 take effect January 1, 2012.’
SUMMARY
This amendment requires that, effective January 1, 2012, an inspection sticker for a motorcycle be affixed to the rear of the motorcycle either on a mounting plate or on a rear fender or similar frame or body part of the motorcycle. The amendment also directs the Department of Public Safety, Bureau of State Police to convene a working group to study the issue of motorcycle noise, including, but not limited to, industry sound testing standards, United States Environmental Protection Agency labeling guidelines for noise emissions, and motorcycle safety inspection requirements and to report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over transportation matters by January 15, 2011."