There are many reasons for this noise, including traffic, boom box cars, street fairs, and nightclubs. However, there are some things that you can do to reduce the noise levels around you. For example, you can limit the noise from ice cream trucks and barking dogs. You can also install noise-canceling headphones in your apartment.
Street fairs
Street fairs in New York City clog city streets, but they are also popular targets of New Yorkers. The mayor is weighing the possibility of banning more of these events. But some are reluctant to ban the events. The city collects 20 percent of the vendor fees charged by street fairs, amounting to $1.6 million last year. According to the Center for an Urban Future, most of these street fairs are organized by just three companies.
When the weather is warmer, New York City’s street fairs take over several blocks in each borough. These events offer the best of NYC street food and vintage clothing, and a chance to shop at the various booths. Aside from food, there are also many free activities to enjoy on the streets, such as games and entertainment.
Boom box cars
Boom box cars are notorious for being loud. Not only do they increase the chances of a car crash, but the noise makes it difficult to hear emergency sirens. Furthermore, they promote hypermasculinity and sexist behavior, and they are harmful for society. Some residents are organizing to combat the noise. They’ve set up a Facebook group to air complaints. There are more than 330 members, and there are numerous posts about the noise.
The city’s noise is a big issue for citizens, and while some neighborhoods don’t have a serious noise problem, others are flooded with it. The city’s 311 call service has been instrumental in identifying the causes of noise pollution, and Mayor Michael Bloomberg has instituted new laws aimed at curbing the annoyance.
Nightclubs
Nightclubs in New York are notorious for their loud music, but they’re not the only reason for the city’s loudness. Since the Jazz Age, when upscale hipsters frequented the Cotton Club and the Plaza Cafe as a hangover cure, the city’s nightlife has taken on a variety of sounds. The city’s clubs have grown to incorporate rock, punk, pop, and EDM. Some establishments even feature sex. New York is the city for debauchery, and nightclubs there have perfected it.
The noise is especially extreme on the Lower East Side, where revelers have taken the party to the streets. While long-time residents of this neighborhood have endured the noise of clubs and bars, the throngs of revelers have now spread into the streets, including open-air drug sales, brazen muggings, and bass-boosted cars. This has led to an increase in violence in recent weeks on the Lower East Side, where the sounds of music have reached an all-time high.
Traffic
Most of the noise that comes from the streets of New York City comes from traffic. While honking is banned in many neighborhoods, trucks and sirens are still a regular source of noise. The occasional club is muffled outside, but the city’s mayor is on a crusade to make the streets more peaceful. There are even plans to silence dogs and ice cream trucks. Regardless of how these plans pan out, they may not do enough to stop noise pollution in our city.
While some drivers say it’s not a problem, others say that traffic noise has a disproportionate effect on our health. One study found that people living in noisy neighborhoods were more likely to suffer a heart attack than those who live in quieter neighborhoods. In New Jersey, about one in every twenty heart attacks are triggered by traffic noise.
Clubs’ music blasting
Club music blasting in public spaces can be a blight on New York City. The noise-levels caused by people blasting music in public places vary greatly, but there are some common areas that suffer the most from excessive noise. Staten Island is an exception, with the lowest noise complaints compared to the other boroughs. Residents on the island are less likely to be bothered by loud music and loud parties.
The California Occupational Safety and Health Administration (CAL-OSHA) regulates noise levels in the workplace, but it does not monitor the noise levels in nightclubs. Although CAL-OSHA encourages employees to wear ear protection, it does not have the resources to regulate noise levels at nightclubs. It recommends nightclub workers wear earmuffs or earplugs. But there are no laws to protect club patrons from noise, which is one of the most prevalent causes of hearing loss.
Noise pollution
There are different reasons why New York is so loud, and different places have different noise levels. In general, the loudest area of the city is midtown Manhattan. While this number may be skewed because of the concentration of office workers in the area, other noisy areas include the East Village, West Village, Battery Park, lower Manhattan, and northern Washington Heights. High-density areas are generally the noisiest, and complaints about barking dogs are common in many parts of the city.
While many types of businesses generate noise, many of them are regulated. Air conditioning units in restaurants, for example, are restricted to 45 decibels. But the Daily News had to deal with angry residents when huge trucks delivered newsprint. In response, the Daily News started installing double windows in 60 local households and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to build a soundproof facility.
