Outlaw That Noisy Car Alarm? Supporters Say Measure Would Improve City Life
Carroll Gardens/Cobble Hill Courier
By Gary Buiso

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While a bill to silence car alarms has stalled in the City Council, those who are supporting the measure argue its fate could drastically alter the quality of life for all New Yorkers.

The bill, which would make it illegal to sell or install audible car alarms, and require that people turn off already installed alarms within city limits, last had a hearing in June, and has been stuck in the Council's Environmental Protection Committee.

"Having alarms go off creates a sense of disunity in the community," said Park Slope resident Rory Bernstein, a website designer who created www.silentmajorityny.org, a site promoting the cause.

Bernstein recently spoke at the Hoyt Street Association, petitioning the group to support the cause. The civic plans to look into the matter and possibly start a petition, its president, Margaret Cusack said.

Bernstein, who volunteers for the advocacy group Transportation Alternatives, said the group has a list of approximately 50 car alarm installation businesses that have agreed to discharge alarms free of charge, a counter to critics who argue that car owners might find it difficult to disengage the alarms.

"I hear car alarms go off three times a day, and never for any apparent reason," Bernstein said.

With spring and summer fast approaching, a feeling of dread is approaching for those who might dare and open their windows for fresh air—only to endure the shrill bleating of a triggered alarm.

Aaron Friedman, a project manager for Transportation Alternatives, feels that sense of dread.

The problem, he said, is that it's not really clear to owners when their alarm has been triggered. "They may be at work, or they may have parked their cars a few blocks away, so they don't really understand that they are waking up all their neighbors," he said.

Friedman said that a call to 311 could be placed if an alarm is sounding for over three minutes, but those calls are typically transferred to the 911 system, as the call is considered a "theft in progress."

"The police rarely investigate," Friedman charged.

He said the bill would be an effective way to say that "it's not acceptable to bother everyone in the neighborhood by using a device that doesn't even work."

The hope is that enough social pressure could convince car owners to opt for different security measures, such as brake locks; Lojack, which uses global positioning satellites to track vehicles; and a passive immobilizer, which only allows a computer coded ignition key to start the engine.

Friedman, who is originally from California, said he has moved from one apartment to another, seeking relief from the noise—to no avail.

The bill is co-sponsored by Brooklyn Councilmembers David Yassky, Yvette Clarke, Simcha Felder, Vincent Gentile, Mike Nelson, Domenic Recchia and Letitia James. It does not have the support of the mayor of Council Speaker Gifford Miller, which could ultimately prove to be its downfall.

"These alarms are a public nuisance. There's absolutely no reason for alarms to be as loud and obnoxious as they are. They are certainly not a deterrent for criminals," Yassky spokesperson Evan Thies said.

"Everyone in Brownstone Brooklyn knows that," he added.

Bernstein is cautiously optimistic about the bill.

"If he [Miller] is against it, and if he can rally enough support, it can definitely be a problem," Bernstein said. "But the more people appeal to their councilmembers, the better our chance will be."

Community Board 6's Environmental Protection/Public Safety Committee will weigh the issue at its next meeting, scheduled for Monday, March 22 at the 78th Precinct, 65 6th Avenue at 6:30 p.m. Information about the effort is available online at two websites: www.silentmajorityny.org and www.transalt.org.

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