Proposed Anti-Motorcycle Ordinance in Delray Beach, Florida
A proposed ordinance in Delray Beach, Florida, would ban ALL motorcycles from a five-block section of Atlantic Avenue, between Swinton Avenue and U.S. 1, between the hours of 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. Further, the ordinance would require all motorcycles to be equipped with stock exhaust systems or ". U.S. EPA-approved low-noise emission mufflers."
The Delray Beach City Commission will meet on Tuesday, October 16, to consider the ordinance. An October 10 article (Delray mulls motorcycle curbs on Atlantic) in the Palm Beach Post online provides some background on the proposed ordinance.
For more information on the scheduled October 16 meeting of the City Commission, visit their website. For a copy of the proposed ordinance, click here (pdf file).
What you can do:
a.. Visit the Delray Beach City Commission website and contact each member by telephone and/or e-mail to let him or her know how you feel about banning your legally licensed and insured motor vehicles from Atlantic Avenue just because it has two or three wheels. Be polite - ask if the City Commission is willing to ban other "noisy" vehicles, such as cars and light trucks with modified exhaust systems and loud stereo systems.
a.. Attend the City Commission meeting on Tuesday, October 16 and express your position on banning ALL motorcycles because of the actions of a few irresponsible operators. Again, be polite - ask how the police department plans to enforce the motorcycle ban. After all, if the police department can't respond in time to issue a citation for a noise violation, how will they respond to a motorcycle passing through the "forbidden zone?" Does the police department have enough officers to post at each end of Atlantic Avenue? If so, they have enough officers to work the district and issue excessive noise citations on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
a.. Contact your Florida state senator and representative and explain that Delray Beach plans to ban ALL motorcycles from a public roadway because of the actions of a few. Ask if he or she thinks this is an appropriate approach to solving a problem created by a few irresponsible motor vehicle operators. Also ask if he or she supports a ban on ALL motor vehicles to solve the excessive noise problem. If you don't know who your state senator and representative are, visit the AMA Rapid Response Center and enter your 9-digit Zip Code in the text box under "Find Your Officials."
a.. Write a polite letter to the editor of your local newspaper. Explain Delray Beach's approach to problem solving - collective punishment. Suggest that the reason we have laws and law enforcement agencies is to punish and deter those alleged to have committed offenses. We have a court system to allow citizens the right to challenge their alleged violations. There are many examples of collective punishment in history books - none worked for the betterment of the common good.
Do not let this unjust ordinance take effect unchallenged. If Delray Beach succeeds in banning ALL motorcycles from a five-block stretch of Atlantic Avenue, other local governments will be emboldened to do the same.
Get Involved - TAKE ACTION NOW!
Jim Haley
President
Independence Chapter, Abate
