Some find it “rather exaggerated”, others are in favour: In the Baden-Württemberg municipality of Erdmannhausen, people are discussing an addition to the police ordinance that initially sounds a bit strange. There may soon be fines for closing car doors too loudly and leaving engines running unnecessarily, among other things.
The municipal council of the 5000-strong town unanimously decided on the regulations on “noise from vehicles” in a meeting on Thursday evening, as Mayor Marcus Kohler (free voters) announced. But the community in the district of Ludwigsburg is not the only one.
A 77-year-old describes the noise from slammed car doors as “bestial and inconsiderate”. She lives in the middle of Erdmannhausen, her apartment is near a bank and other shops. In front of it there are some parking spaces where many residents park their cars briefly to get something done. “It’s just noise,” says the pensioner. She is for the new regulations.
However, many residents of Erdmannhausen find this excessive. “That’s nonsense,” says one man about the rule for noisy car doors. “How else do you want to close a car door?” asks another. Even a 19-year-old finds it superfluous. And an incentive too: She says that since then she has been slamming the doors extra loud.
But what most people like is the regulation in the new paragraph about leaving engines running unnecessarily. There may also be a fine for this in the future. And that’s what the community was all about. This was noticed during the controls and has also been reported occasionally by people from the community in the recent past, says Verena Fischer, head of the regulatory office. This is one of the reasons why the decision was made to include the paragraph on “noise from vehicles”. For example, if people let their cars run when they go shopping, it would also be about climate protection, adds Mayor Kohler.
The basis for the regulation is a model from the Baden-Württemberg Municipal Council, which can be included in the police ordinance if there is a “local need”. A number of communities and towns in the southwest have already adopted the regulations on “noise from vehicles”, including Bönnigheim and Kornwestheim, for example.
Both administrations from the district of Ludwigsburg report that so far there have been no fines for engines that have been left running for too long or car doors that have been slammed too loudly.
“Noise is basically a very subjective perception. It is therefore very difficult to assess when objectively there is a disturbance of the peace,” reports the city of Bönnigheim. As a rule, it is sufficient if the municipal enforcement service (GVD) warns people, according to Kornwestheim.
In Erdmannhausen, too, there is still no certainty about the practical suitability. There was a lack of experience, says Fischer. Initially, however, the vehicle noise controls failed like all the others. So if, for example, the GVD sees a stationary car with the engine running and the owner does not appear for a long time, the inspectors can act. Whether a verbal warning is issued or a fine is imposed must be decided on a case-by-case basis, says Fischer. In the current catalog of fines, unnecessary noise or exhaust nuisance is punished with 80 euros.
According to the community day, the paragraph “Noise from vehicles” is specifically about noise emanating from private property. Because the road traffic regulations apply to noise on public traffic areas. In this, it is forbidden by federal law to run vehicle engines unnecessarily and to close vehicle doors with excessive noise.
For the municipality of Erdmannhausen, the introduction of the new paragraph in the police ordinance is a normal administrative act, says Kohler. There is no acute need for action on the subject of noise in the village. Rather, they want to take precautions and cover contingencies.
The regulations also prohibit making unnecessary noise when loading and unloading cars or honking your horn unnecessarily. Bicycles with auxiliary motors and motors from motorcycles may also not be started in gate entrances, building passages or in courtyards of residential buildings. In addition, it is forbidden to close garage doors excessively noisily.
