Kent Noise Situation Becomes Almost Comical

Imagine just for a moment a gorgeous and peaceful botanical garden where, once a week, a swarm of invaders descends. Most of these visitors are honey bees and butterflies. They’re colorful, generally non-threatening, and beneficial because they pollinate the flowers and blooming shrubs. They’re welcomed, or at least accepted without complaint.

However, in addition to the honey bees and butterflies, there are also a few yellow jackets. They’re aggressive, impolite, and ruin the pleasant atmosphere of the garden, so the gardener decides to use pesticide on them after getting some complaints. In doing so, pardon the expression, he stirs up a hornets’ nest after news of his plan goes public…

Now, instead of a botanical garden, insert the town of Kent, CT. Instead of insects, insert motorcyclists. And instead of the gardener, insert First Selectman Bruce Adams.

Last month, I wrote a column in “The Republican-American” that reported how Kent was considering cracking down on the “yellow jackets” – rude riders who, to steal a line used elsewhere, are “acoustically lawless.” Adams promised “increased enforcement” to try and rid the town of the unrelenting and obnoxious motorcycle noise on weekends.

Resident state trooper Andrew Fisher said that rather than hand out tickets to riders for violating the state “maximum noise level” statute, he planned to simply ticket offenders for disturbing the peace. Our conversation took place on the sidewalk in downtown Kent and was interrupted by a pack of noisy riders. “If we can’t talk, it’s unnecessary noise,” he told me.

The column ran in the newspaper on July 19 and was posted here two days later. Initially, the reaction, which I assume came from “quiet riders” who dislike loud exhaust pipes, was positive. I received roughly 20 emails, Facebook posts and other comments in support of my urging of a high-profile, aggressive crackdown on loud pipes – and only one complaint – over the first week or so.

Slowly, though, word about the column began to spread. Then someone anonymously scrawled a “bathroom note” that purportedly came from the “town officials” and called out “‘Harley’ noise makers and their riff-raff.” It got posted on Facebook and was written about here. Blow-back against the town began. There was rather predictable name-calling and threats of boycotting the town.

What’s made the growing reaction somewhat comical to me to are the irrational, far-fetched assumptions made by some riders who have posted comments both here on the website, on RIDE-CT.com / RIDE-NewEngland.com’s Facebook page and in emails. Without singling out anyone who has commented by name, perhaps it’s time to clear up a couple of misperceptions, based on my knowledge of the situation.

Here goes:

– No, Kent isn’t talking about instituting any “motorcycle-only” checkpoints. And, no, the ticketing effort – if it’s ever implemented – wouldn’t single out Harley-Davidson riders, everyone with straight pipes or any “riff-raff.”

Did anyone notice the picture that accompanied the original column and original post? It showed Fisher talking to riders of  sport bikes, which can be just as noisy as cruisers with aftermarket exhausts. As I talked with Fisher that day, an excessively noisy Audi “tuner” drove by. It, too, would be targeted for a ticket under the crackdown plan. Any crackdown will target any and all offenders. I will rap myself on the wrist for not making that clearer from the get-go.

– No, I don’t think Kent views motorcyclists on a whole as “nasty people.” The noise problem isn’t caused by “honey bees or butterflies,” which includes all respectful riders, even ones with straight pipes. It’s the minority “yellow jackets” who start their bikes and zealously rev them or who do burn outs or who ride on the sidewalk that make the situation intolerable.

– No, not all businesses in Kent benefit from motorcyclists. Some, such as Kent Coffee & Chocolate, benefit tremendously. The tables outside the shop’s front door are routinely filled with riders, and I include myself as a regular. Others don’t, especially when so many parking spaces are taken up by bikes that folks in cars get excluded.

Some folks who’ve commented have said they’ll avoid Kent and take their business elsewhere, which will hurt the businesses. Having visited Kent today, I can report that there were loads of motorcycles as well as lots of cars. Everyone was enjoying the Kent Chamber of Commerce’s annual Sidewalk Festival. I visited several shops and bought a book at the used book sale.

What I didn’t hear today was a lot of excess noise. I’m hoping this continues. I’ll bet there’s a slew of “quiet riders” to more than replace the obnoxious narcissists who disturb the peace. Please, if you can’t show restraint on the throttle, boycott Kent. Do it now, and let the rest of us, but especially the residents, enjoy the place.

Here’s hoping the problem solves itself. If it doesn’t, here’s a continuing hope that Fisher and some fellow state troopers pretend they’re gardeners with cans of pesticide and engage in some rapid-fire ticketing. That’s what riders who lack manners deserve.