Noise protection zone: Police motorcycles themselves too loud
For two months now, a ban on excessively loud motorcycles has been in force in some districts of Austria; the victims are the hotel and catering industry.
The driving ban has been controversial even before it came into force. Especially innkeepers and hotels are up in arms. Several sections of road are affected by this noise protection zone, on which motorcycles with a decibel level of 95 are prohibited. Confusingly, it is not the decibel value when driving but when stationary that plays a decisive role. This can lead to a misunderstanding by the consumer: Motorcycles that are legally registered are too loud for these sections of the track, such as a special model from the Italian manufacturer Ducati.
The absurd thing is that this model is used by the police, which is now also affected by the noise protection zone regulations. But that's not all, because another two-wheeler model, which is also in service with the Austrian police, is also much too loud. Free ride for the police - no chance!
However, the ban does not go far enough for local residents, because many people believe that even high horsepower vehicles such as sports cars should be affected by the ban.
Meanwhile, the restaurateurs and hoteliers are fighting for bare survival, because one of the main sources of income in spring and summer are the countless biker groups that wind their way through the endless mountain passages and take a break in the innumerable restaurants and country houses in a rustic atmosphere. But the motorcyclists are more and more slowed down by such prohibitions, which has caused a real countermovement in the scene over the last weeks.
Many are now increasingly focusing on hikers as their main target group - at least until the second Corona lockdown comes.