New York City Council passed a local legislation to change how the city responses to noise complaints, and change how construction crews can work at night. It could mean a much more peaceful sleep for all NYers!
You know what rocks in the city that never sleeps? …Sleep, that’s what. But, between the lights, the vibe, and more importantly, the noise, it can be a challenge to catch a good nights rest in New York City. That may soon be a thing of the past thanks to a new piece of legislation passed by the City Council.
The legislation, called the Noise Complaint Response Act, asks for stricter standards in responding to noise complaints and tighter rules for construction crews who work between 6 pm and 7 am. The legislation would force construction within 200 feet of residential buildings not to make the noise louder than 75 decibels (currently the max is 85) by 2020. Here’s a handy decibel chart, created by ResearchGate, so you can see that difference the new measures will make:
The measure would also enable the Department of Environmental Protection to more thoroughly investigate noise complaints by removing restrictive rules. At the moment DEP agents have scheduled appointments with local residents to investigate complaints about excessive noise. If the Mayor signs off on the legislation, the DEP would be required to investigate noise complaints within two hours, or to measure the noise on a different day but at the same time, the complaint was reported.
Fingers crossed, if the Mayor gives the legislation his seal of approval, we could all be enjoying a much more restful nights sleep. If you’re anything like us, you could definitely use it.
Featured image source [Wikimedia Commons]