Claudia Calleja
It’s too noisy, most Maltese say
About 92 per cent of people feel annoyed by excessive noise with traffic and construction being the worst offenders. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier
The roaring of traffic, the construction industry’s mind-numbing hammering and loud music is the sort of noise that bothers people most, according to a study commissioned by a new lobby group.
The Noise Abatement Society of Malta, officially launched yesterday, said its research showed 92 per cent of the Maltese were annoyed by too much noise and 95 per cent believed not enough was being done to make Malta quieter.
The same number of people believed excessive sounds were damaging to hearing and 92 per cent thought noise damaged overall health.
Society chairman John Fenech said the society would lobby to raise more awareness about the health hazards posed by excessive noise and try to encourage the authorities to take action.
Apart from the fact that loud noises could damage people’s hearing, he said, there were other health repercussions as constant noise made people irritable, affected sleep and well-being and diminished work performance. The society was calling for better sound-level monitoring and suggested local councils be given the authority to tackle complaints.
As things stood, he said, there were no set limits on noise and the law courts were inconsistent when deciding on whether or not certain noises disturbed the peace.
A 17-year-old drummer was on Thursday fined €50 and stopped from practising in the basement of his Rabat home after a magistrate ruled he was annoying neighbours.
Mr Fenech explained that the only sound limitations were related to the law governing construction, laying down that between 2 and 4 p.m. noise levels could not exceed 65 decibels.
He said research showed that when noise exceeded 85 decibels over eight hours it would be damaging to people’s hearing. Any instant noise over 120 decibels was also damaging.
To put things into perspective, the average sound of someone speaking was about 50 to 60 decibels, he said.
Turning to the study, in which 303 people were handed a questionnaire in Valletta, Sliema and Qormi, results showed that 37 per cent of respondents were annoyed daily by some form of noise with 25 per cent experiencing the nuisance more than once a week.
Most people, 47 per cent, were annoyed during the day, 31 per cent both day and night and 22 per cent at night.
Only 21 per cent formally complained about excessive noise. Most, 45 per cent, went to the police, 35 per cent complained to the source and 20 per cent went to the local council.
Of the 79 per cent who never complained formally about too much noise, 31 per cent said they believed there was no effective enforcement, 19 per cent were not bothered and 13 per cent did not know where to direct their complaint.
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Saviour Ellul
Nov 2nd 2010, 08:00
What about noise levels in public indoor venues?
The extreme decibel levels to which patrons are exposed to in certain bars, clubs..etc is incredible!
Headaches and ringing sensations are a norm even up to 48hrs after exposure.
Which regulatory body and legislation protects us against that sort of auditory abuse?
karm cassar
Oct 24th 2010, 10:36
Re construction. noise levels. The law lays down that noise levels should not exceed 65 decibels between 2 and 4pm. But how can I know what the decibel noise level is of the jack hammer being used next door? Do I have to buy a decibel meter ?
Karl Consiglio
Oct 23rd 2010, 23:59
For a start, there ought to be law on when one has a right to honk the horn of his/her car
Joe Morana
Oct 24th 2010, 09:50
Readers may wish to refer to the Motor vehnicles regulations i.e SUbsidiary Lagislation No 65 .11 Motor Vehicle Regulations (LN128)
Section 96 Para. (2);
" No person shall make, cause or permit to be made any
unnecessary noise with the motor vehicle horn or with any other
warning device."
Chapter 10 - Police Code Section 41
(1) No person shall sound or play on any musical or noisy
instrument or sing, or for the purpose of hawking, selling,
distributing or advertising any article, shout in any street, shop or
other public place, after being required to desist by any occupant or
inmate of any premises in the neighbourhood on account of the
illness of any person in such premises or for other reasonable
cause, or after being so required by the Police.
(2) No person shall -
(a) in any street, shop or other public place; or
(b) upon any other premises,
by operating or causing or suffering to be operated any wireless
loud speaker, gramophone, amplifier or similar instrument, make or
cause or suffer to be made any noise which shall be so loud as to
cause a nuisance to occupants or inmates of any premises in the
neighbourhood.
Ramon Casha
Oct 23rd 2010, 18:00
Perhaps the authorities could start putting some figures on these subjective opinions by taking measurements of decibel levels at different locations, for whole 24 hour periods. After all, 70 decibels at 3am is not the same as 70 decibels in the middle of the day. This could lead to some guidelines about what sound level is acceptable in different locations and different times.
Then we could formulate laws that restrict noise levels, for example during the night, as well as prohibiting outright certain car modifications that essentially make the silencer useless and restricting decibel output by car stereos.
John fenech
Oct 23rd 2010, 16:19
Let me explain two very important points:
1) Noise nuisance unless measured is subjective, what bothers me might be inconsequential to others!
2) Amongst others, The 'Survey' indicates that certain noise at certain time and in certain area bother those people exposed to it.
The survey did not ask the participants –‘do you bother your neighbours by noise?’ If that question was included the responses might have been- ‘No, I don’t know, sometime, never’. But the scope of the survey was to determine:
Is there a noise nuisance problem?
Is there effective redress to complaints about noise nuisance?
Is noise a health hazard?
Do you know, or need information, how to cope with this nuisance?
So the response is proof that people are sensitive to noise nuisance but on the other hand might be unaware of their complicity in generating that same nuisance!
So information, education and responsibility are the strong messages indicated by this survey. NASoM intend to forward this survey to the Local Councils and the National & Lending library and at a latter date will be posted on our website. So don’t shoot the messenger -unless you use a silencer :-)
John Fenech
giuseppe schembri bonaci
Oct 23rd 2010, 16:09
noise is a silent killer. European law has already taken this into consideration. Maybe Malta in 1000years from now may start to ponder upon this problem....and what about the mushrooming of illegal machine drilling 'workshops' in resident areas, houses, car mechanic-garages, 'public' machines (!) bars opening up till dawn, drums in neighbourhoods, bells at 4.00am, loud TVs radios, antique rumbling airconditioners, dogs barking in the middle of the night, illegal 'burnt-out' cars, buses,...............we are living in a disneyland hell....just incredible and the courts? the police? parliament?
E. Azzopardi
Oct 23rd 2010, 14:44
This survey is not about noise but about hypocrisy. If 92% of the population is annoyed with noise, then who is really making all this noise, only the other 8%?
Besides being hypocrites, there are quite a few selfish human beings around too.
This is the truth and nothing but the whole truth.
The sad thing about it, is that the honest citizen is not being protected by those who are supposed to protect him/her.
I would have thought that after seven years in this elite club called the EU, we would have done something about it. But the majority have not heard yet about Noise Abatement.
Ramon Casha
Oct 23rd 2010, 17:55
Probably, yes. It takes just one car with speakers the size of missile silos to cause a din that affects a whole street, or else a gas distributor with a horn that can be heard from all surrounding villages.
jeanmarc camilleri
Oct 23rd 2010, 12:20
hang on...this noise does not land the capitalist culprits in courts, but a talented musician/drummer has to get fined because he is louder(!)...haha....ara f'hiex wasalna!!!!!
Godfrey Pirotta
Oct 23rd 2010, 14:21
I think the survey has been interpreted wrongly. What they mean is that 92% are bothered about the noise others make and 92% don't give a .......... about the noise they themselves make. For there is absolutely no peace and quiet anywhere on this over-inhabited rock. people seem to jump at any excuse to make noise so I cannot understand how 92% are bothered by it. And this not only during the day. Put your head down and some TV volume goes up, a dog starts barking and goes on all night, then there is the fireworks still going on, some enjoying making their tyres screech and their illegal silencers pound, doors have to be slammed, music is played for the benefit of an entire community not for personal enjoyment, others honk there horn because they had a good time and so on. The list is endless. I see nothing in Maltese behaviour which convinces me that 8% of them are bothere by noise let alone 92%. I think they got the margin of error rather wrong in this one.
Ramon Casha
Oct 23rd 2010, 17:53
The problem with the talented drummer is that he is always annoying the same people, probably on a very frequent basis, for the foreseeable future. By comparison, someone digging up the road with a jackhammer will eventually move on to bother someone else.