LEAH TRINIDAD Citizen Staff Writer
Is banning blaring car stereo systems an idea whose time has come? Or just another government assault on our civil liberties?.
Even people who can’t stand it when motorists pump up the volume think a new city ordinance may go too far.
”I don’t like loud music, but I don’t think it’s something that calls for legislation,” said University of Arizona student Helen Gonzales, 36, referring to a new city ordinance that took effect yesterday.
The ordinance allows officers to ticket motorists whose car stereos can be heard from 150 feet away.
Unlike other noise ordinances, officers don’t need to receive a complaint before issuing a ticket.
Police say the ordinance is designed to make the streets safer as well as less noisy.
Emergency vehicles sometimes can’t be heard over the din of a car stereo, they say.