The Eifel National Park is a popular destination. Not least because of its beautiful landscapes, it is also very popular with motorcyclists. But they are not always welcome there because of the noise they make. The Silent Rider initiative wants to counteract this.
Loud motorbikes are actually not necessarily a big city problem. Because there you can neither drive too fast nor can you rev up your machine unseen and unpunished. So it is mainly rural districts and the nature in between that are affected by the noise, and this especially in spring and summer. Silent Rider is an initiative from the Eifel region that has set itself the goal of taking action against motorbike noise. The members of the initiative are mainly rural districts. Its chairman, Mayor Schmunkamp from Nideggen, regrets that the federal government does nothing to support the concerns of the initiative. However, the new government constellation of SPD, Greens and FDP has raised the initiative's hopes for active support. In concrete terms, it is about changes in the law that help to reduce noise in the countryside.
Switzerland is setting a good example. There, controls against noise polluters are to be tightened and fines increased. In the worst case, driving licences and vehicles could be confiscated. However, it looks like this will not be the case until the end of 2022. In Austria, in the district of Außerfern/Reutte in Tyrol, much more progress has been made: there is already a noise protection zone. Motorbikes are only allowed to drive here if they are quieter than 95 decibels when stationary.
The Silent Rider Initiative sees its greatest success in the fact that it has bundled many different nationwide initiatives and thus lent greater weight to its demands. The most important one is: the introduction of a noise protection law with low limits and sensitive fines for motorbikes that have been manipulated to make more noise on purpose. The North Rhine branch of the ADAC estimates that every tenth motorbike has been technically modified and thus produces more noise. The exhaust systems are often manipulated, which then rattle louder than normal.
The ADAC calls on all bikers to ride especially responsibly in built-up areas and in villages, but also on routes that are particularly sensitive to noise, such as national parks and other protected areas. However, the ADAC believes that closing routes to motorised two-wheelers is the wrong way to go. Silent Rider also feels it is important to emphasise that all motorbikes are welcome everywhere, provided they comply with the prescribed noise level. After all, noise protection zones are still a better solution than a complete ban on motorcycles. But they can be used as a last resort if all other measures do not help.