Talk in our Moraga neighborhood these last few weeks has centered around our gardens and "The Midnight Marauder" -- a motorcyclist with a meaty Harley and one helluva sound system aboard.
He usually rumbles through our neck of the woods a little after midnight, the potato potato potato growl of the Harley signaling his arrival, followed seconds later by some rap or 80s groove tunes delivered at concert levels.
Those of us hoping to cadge a little sleep before the 5 a.m. buzzer goes off have been levitated out of our comfy little beds at the noise and a couple of the neighbors have set out in search of Mr. Marauder, only to come up short every time.
Until last night... or this morning, I mean. I was catapulted out of bed at 12:10 a.m. by some Peaches and Herb or something, I don't know, I was too groggy to identify it. The music was so loud I thought it was in the next room and I stomped off in the direction of the kids rooms to chew some tail when I realized it was outside, on Saint Mary's Road.
Very funny moment with me struggling into jeans and slippers and heading out in the direction of the noise, which was still strong from about 100 yards away. By the time I got there his taillights were receding in the dark. I drove onto the campus at SMC and asked if anyone there had seen or heard a guy on a big Harley with a big sound system.
Some smiles, some laughs, some shaking of heads, and then: "Oh yeah, that's (name withheld for now), he's a campus safety officer here."
Picture my mouth moving without words coming out, the illogical picture of a campus police officer being the noise violator responsible for waking an entire neighborhood causing my sleep-deprived synapses to misfire and slam into each other like some malfunctioning supercollider.
I recovered enough to file a formal complaint and drove slowly home, shaking my head. I'm hoping officer X had a pleasant ride home (disturbing how many countless other people in the process) because tomorrow, or today... whatever, I'm hoping we can have a talk.
About noise, about music... maybe about bikes. But mainly about common sense, and civil courtesy. We've caught you, Marauder!
That said - this dude needs to have some serious fines
Signed, Ed's Mom (and besides, he turns the stereo down before he pulls into our driveway at night).
There it is. How dare you ask us to be quiet. That's the way we roll. What they don't tell you is that after you are raised from your bed and ejected was an apt term --- you can't sleep again. These people are public NUISANCES and should be cited. I have one below my house. He starts his day and his motorcycle at 5 in the morning. And it idles for minutes while my blood pressure and heart rate go up. I don't know what I'd do if he put a stereo on that thing.
My suggestion: ask the school to ask him to submit his bike to a noise test. I suspect that part of the reason why you have not gotten an apology is that it would be an admission-- and some would use it to scream for his blood. Regrettably, sometimes "doing the right thing" (apologizing) can lead to the "wrong" outcome....
operation of, any sound amplification system which can be heard outside the vehicle from 50 or more feet when the vehicle is being operated upon a highway, unless that system is being operated to request assistance or warn of a hazardous situation. This section does not apply to authorized emergency vehicles or vehicles operated by gas, electric, communications, or water utilities. This section does not apply to the sound systems of vehicles used for advertising, or in parades, political or other special events, except that the use of sound systems on those vehicles may be prohibited by a local authority by ordinance or resolution. Sounds like this guy's setup exceeded the 50' limitation by a hundred yards or so
Tell does this sound familiar, I have provided a link to a story on the Temecula Patch. Please read the story and watch the video in the story. Add this to all your facebook accounts, get the word out. http://temecula.patch.com/articles/citizen-reader-shares-mining-sounds
Greg H.