Q: Ed Jaworski of Riverside lives on the east side of the UC Riverside campus, just off Watkins Drive. He said what used to be a quiet neighborhood has gotten much busier, probably due to more people in the area and drivers using GPS traffic shortcuts. There used to be signs stating “Noise Laws are Strictly Enforced,” he said, but, “these signs have not returned and with today’s mentality of having modified exhaust or who’s got the biggest subwoofer, noise enforcement is needed more than ever.” He asked why noise laws are not strictly enforced.
A: Noise laws are notoriously difficult to enforce no matter where the complaint comes from, due to the tricky nature of measuring noise levels and also having a police officer right there when the noise is occurring. Usually, a loud car goes by or there’s a noise complaint about loud music or a loud vehicle, and by the time a resident calls the police, the offender is long gone.
“If an officer observes a vehicle emitting excessive noise or loud music in violation of the California Vehicle Code, they are authorized to conduct a traffic stop, investigate the violation, and issue a citation if appropriate,” said Riverside police Officer Ryan J. Railsback.
It’s not that noise laws aren’t enforced. But it usually takes a complaint or multiple complaints from citizens to bring enforcement. In this case, our reader or residents on his street could reach out to police and seek a special noise enforcement effort, or reach out to the city for new signage. If it’s a neighbor regularly making excessive noise, people can call the non-emergency police number too.
As for specific signs, Railsback said he is not aware of the signs our reader mentioned being posted previously. Philip Nitollama, a city of Riverside traffic engineer in the Public Works Department, also said he was not aware of a noise sign having been in that area.
Pedestrians and crosswalks
Q: Perry Sticca of Anaheim asked On the Road to remind drivers that they don’t have to wait for a pedestrian crossing the street in a crosswalk to get completely across the street before cars may proceed to turn right. (We recently wrote about pedestrians and crosswalk safety.)
A: Drivers must yield the right-of-way to pedestrians crossing in a marked or unmarked crosswalk at an intersection; this means slowing down or stopping if necessary. A driver can then proceed once the pedestrian is safely out of their path of travel. There needs to be “plenty of clearance,” said Detective Ryan McHugh, a collision investigator and reconstructionist with the Riverside Police Department Traffic Bureau. The Vehicle Code does not require the pedestrian to be 100% out of the crosswalk.
“Drivers need to be aware of this,” Sticca said. “It’s very frustrating to be stuck in a line of cars waiting to turn right, with the lead car afraid to cross over the crosswalk because a pedestrian on the other side of the street, maybe 60 feet away, has started to cross! Several cars can make that right turn before one of them will have to hold up to allow the pedestrian clearance to safely cross over.”
Do you commute to work in the Inland Empire? Spend a lot of time in your vehicle? Have questions about driving, freeways, toll roads or parking? If so, write or call On the Road and we’ll try to answer your questions. Please include your question or issue, name, city of residence, phone number and email address. Write ontheroad@scng.com or call 951-368-9995.
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