Dear members,
At our AGM on June 27, 2019 there was a question relating to noise and parking bylaws.
Below are links to the City of Langford’s (the “City”) website where you can review the Traffic, Noise Abatement.
Traffic bylaw:
https://www.langford.ca/assets/Bylaws/Community~Standards/traffic-bylaw-33.pdf
Expectations around parking practices on City roadways are outlined through various sections of the Traffic bylaw. Some common areas of control can include, parking on a sidewalk, blocking or within 1 meter of a driveway and ‘on street’ vehicle storage (eg: vehicles are required to move every 72 hours or less).
Noise Abatement bylaw:
https://www.langford.ca/assets/Bylaws/Community~Standards/crd-noise-abatement-961.pdf
Noise Evidence Log:
https://www.langford.ca/assets/Bylaws/Community~Standards/noise-evidence-log.pdf
The Noise Abatement bylaw does not rely on decibel measurements/readings collected by recording equipment, rather it is structured in a way which relies on a quantity of nearby persons identifying a particular sound as being problematic or disruptive to them. Of note, the General Section appearing early in this bylaw considers the community standard or tolerance will be established by neighbours to the event or sound causing the disturbance (eg: loud music, shouting, late night noises, etc.). Later parts of that same bylaw address more specific aspects.
It is important to remember that enforcement of this bylaw will rely on unified representation from neighbours to determine that a breach has occurred. To assist you in providing evidence for enforcement of this bylaw, there is a link to a PDF document referred to as a Noise Evidence Log which, when completed by a number of individuals claiming they have been disturbed, clearly demonstrates an alignment of the disruptive events.
Reporting: Reports of suspected violations of these bylaws can be made through email at enforcement@cityoflangford.ca or by calling City Hall during regular business hours at 250-474-0604. The City cannot accept and act on anonymous complaints. After hours calls can be made to 250-857-0400 however, these calls are to a mobile phone which will be answered if an Officer is on shift and able to take the call (eg: not in the midst of addressing another complaint at that moment). There is a voice messaging feature on this line which is checked regularly during an Officer’s shift, or with no one on duty, it is checked at the beginning of the next shift. If a call isn’t immediately answered, those residents calling should be sure to leave a voice message containing their name and address, the day/time/location and nature of the complaint or inquiry, and of course a number where they might be contacted. The City does not return all voice messages.
Note that noise or parking complaints can also be relayed to the West Shore RCMP (250-474-2264 then Press ‘0’) who have the same authority as bylaw officers to enforce noise or traffic issues. Such contact with the RCMP may be useful or necessary during late night hours and where bylaw officers may not be scheduled to be on shift.
Thank you,
BMCA
Directors
