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Noisy Vehicles in the City

Jun 4, 2021

December 1, 2021 Update:

On September 15, 2021, Council concurred in the recommendation of the Standing Policy Committee on Infrastructure Renewal and Public Works to direct the Winnipeg Public Service to report back to the Standing Committee in 90 days on the costs of noise monitoring technology and its potential use to help inform and guide traditional enforcement measures.

On December 1, 2021, the Standing Policy Committee on Infrastructure Renewal and Public Works granted an extension of time to its June 9, 2022 meeting.

My office receives many calls about excessively noisy vehicles. Noisy vehicles impact the quality of life in a growing city.

Enforcing noisy vehicles is the responsibility of the Winnipeg Police Service – if you hear excessively noisy vehicles, please contact the Winnipeg Police Service. If the excessively noisy vehicles are on the Perimeter Highway, the RCMP are responsible to enforce. (See below)

Now, you can see the challenge in having Winnipeg Police Service or RCMP respond to enforce. If they are not there at the moment the noisy vehicle passes by, its incredibly difficult to respond to a call for enforcement. Enforcing noisy vehicles is more difficult than catching speedsters because there is no automated noise enforcement equipment. When City of Winnipeg Police or RCMP are able to stop an excessively noisy vehicle, they look for illegal alterations to exhaust systems, and can enforce accordingly.

  • Some cities are piloting a type of ‘photo /sound’ radar – where a device monitors the sound and a camera takes the image, but it is not yet a proven technology.
  • The City of Winnipeg made a request to the Province of Manitoba to pilot this technology, but was denied (see denial letter).
  • The City wrote to the Province again requesting use of the technology but was again denied (see denial letter).
  • The Public Works department feels in time, a proven technology to monitor noisy vehicles will emerge and at that point, the City will invest in the technology.

Edmonton has a program underway with their Police: Noise in Edmonton

Councillors cannot tell the Winnipeg Police Service how to do their jobs, but we can recommend programs to consider. I think an education campaign would be somewhat effective and have ask the Winnipeg Police Service to consider.

I encourage residents to contact the non-emergency number 204 986-6222 and offer suggestions.

Noise on the Perimeter in South Winnipeg

The Perimeter was designed in the 1960’s to handle traffic travelling around the City of Winnipeg. Two things have changed since 1960:

  1. The City is growing, more vehicles are using the Perimeter, and there have been few upgrades to the Perimeter to accommodate this growth.
  2. The Province of Manitoba and Government of Canada moved forward with the development of CentrePort Canada – which is designed to become a global, multi modal transportation hub, including an Inland Port.

SEE 2018 South Perimeter Noise Study

CentrePort Canada was never envisioned when the Perimeter was built. The Perimeter was not designed to accommodate a global, multi modal transportation hub, and we are now seeing some safety improvements being made. Future development of the Perimeter Highway plans are for a fully grade-separated freeway that can ultimately accommodate six lanes on the Perimeter. Daily traffic volumes on the Perimeter today average around 30,000 vehicles and are projected to double in the next 30 years.

It is for these reasons, that I believe sound walls should be incorporated into the expansion of the Perimeter where there is no buffer between houses and the Perimeter. I encourage you to reach out to your elected Provincial representative (MLA) and request that sound walls be installed where homes are close to the Perimeter.

Reporting Noise Infractions on the Perimeter

  • The Perimeter Highway is a Provincial Highway, and traffic AND  noise violations are enforced by the RCMP – Headingly Division (South and West portions of the Perimeter)
  • I also work with Terry Shaw (Executive Director) at the Manitoba Trucking Association – who send out news briefings to truckers using the highways.

Winnipeg and the surrounding municipalities are growing communities. I have also asked the City to update their 35 year old noise by law. See City of Winnipeg Noise By Law Update