Loud car stereos may soon be a thing of the past thanks to an ordinance approved by Albuquerque's City Council on Monday.
The council voted 8-1 in favor of prohibiting people from operating car stereos loud enough to be heard in noise-sensitive areas such as homes and schools.
"Noise is increasingly becoming an issue in our city's neighborhoods," said Councilor Greg Payne.
Payne sponsored the bill that is also designed to ban car stereos "loud enough at night to be plainly audible on any property."
"This problem is striking at the heart of our quality of life in Albuquerque," Payne said. "I really think this is a step in the right direction."
He said the idea for the bill came from residents along Montgomery Boulevard who complained about the volume of car stereos.
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"No person ... shall operate any sound amplification equipment from the vehicle resulting in plainly audible sound 25 or more feet from the vehicle," the ordinance states.
According to the city government's Web site, violators of the ban could be issued a citation by the police or the staff from the Environmental Health Department. The accompanying fine could be as high as $50, and if found guilty in a court hearing, the offender could be fined as much as $500, 90 days in jail or both.
The ban would be in effect from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
The bill now goes to Mayor Martin Ch†vez for his approval.
Payne said he originally hoped to prohibit car-stereo systems that produce more than 100 watts of power. An earlier version of the bill would have also banned car stereos with more than four speakers and speakers that are more than 6-1/2 inches wide.
Payne designed the bill that was eventually passed by the council after collaborating with local car stereo store managers to minimize the affects it would have on their business.
"We are happy with the final version of the bill that passed," said Scott Villez, manager of Audio Express, one of Albuquerque's largest car stereo stores. "It puts the responsibility on the shoulders of the individuals, which is where it belongs."
Councilor Miguel G¢mez, who voted against the proposal, said he's afraid it will promote racial profiling of minority youth by the police.
"I'm concerned about selective enforcement that very well might take place," he said. "I fear that certain youth will be falsely targeted - namely Hispanics and African Americans."
G¢mez said he is skeptical about the success of the ordinance, claiming that APD resources are already stretched thin, leading to possible "enforcement difficulties."
"I think this is a knee-jerk reaction to a problem that can be traced back to youthfulness," G¢mez said. "I have trouble believing this program is going to find success. I really don't see how it is going to solve any problem."
Many UNM students agreed, saying the problem of loud car stereos is not that big of an issue.
"I could see if there weren't bigger issues to address, but with unsolved murders and bank robberies out there, a loud stereo doesn't seem like that big of a problem," said Scott Kinsela, a UNM senior. "Of course there are those people who don't care about other people's privacy, but I don't think it is that big of a problem."
