None of Mayor Bloomberg's proposed changes to the noise code respond to the enormous public support for a ban on the use of car alarms in New York City. Transportation Alternatives, New York City's advocates for safer, calmer streets, urges the Mayor and City Council to include a full ban on the use of audible car alarms in the new noise code.

Twenty-two City Council members, representing each borough from the Bronx to Brighton Beach, now co-sponsor legislation to ban car alarms. Another four Council members, including the chair of the Environmental Protection Committee, have gone on record supporting the ban. Indeed, it's hard to find anyone who enjoys the sound of the famous six-tone "revenger" siren late at night. Even car alarm installers prefer the two-way pagers that buzz in an owner's pocket, instead of waking up the entire neighborhood. Over fifty installers, eager to sell these silent devices, have pledged to disable car alarm sirens free of charge, if the ban takes effect. Says Kit Hodge, Transportation Alternatives' Campaign Coordinator,

"The Mayor is taking a welcome step forward in curbing unnecessary and unwelcome noise in New York City. We congratulate him on working with the city council and public to build consensus for these needed improvements. Given the existing tremendous public and commercial support for a ban on the use of car alarms, the Mayor and City Council should include the full ban in the noise code revisions. A ban on the use of car alarms is an easy and popular way to save New Yorkers from the daily aggravation of sudden and obnoxious noise."

The City Council is scheduled to hold a hearing on Int. 81 on Thursday, June 10th at 10 am at City Hall. The proposed bill would only ban the sale and installation of new car alarm sirens, not their use. Under this weak bill, sirens can sound off so long as they are purchased outside of the city. This weak bill will not stop the noise. Int. 115, which City Council Speaker Gifford Miller has squashed, is a much stronger bill that would completely ban the use of car alarm sirens in New York City. What is more, this strong bill would be easier to implement and enforce because it would apply to all car alarms, regardless of their origin.

"A ban on noisy, aggravating car alarm sirens is clearly in the public interest," says Kit Hodge, Campaign Coordinator for Transportation Alternatives. "No evidence shows that these alarms actually deter theft. Motorists can save money on their insurance by switching to the inexpensive, silent devices that really work. And 97% of drivers can turn off their existing alarms as easily as a cell phone. Why should New Yorkers have to put up with these noisemakers any longer?"