Brodnica. The roar of the engines does not let them live. “I bought an apartment here. I wouldn't do it again”

The problem concerns the streets located within the Brodnica Old Town: Duży Rynek, Mały Rynek, Hallera, Kościuszki, Kamionek, Przykop and Mostowa. Paweł Kędzia, a councilor of the “I love this city” club, was one of the first to draw attention to him.

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– The problem appeared during the campaign before the local elections. It was raised quite often in conversations with residents, who repeated that the noise was unbearable. Some people have apartments located in such a way that they can afford not to use one room when it is noisy. But what should those people who have apartments facing the street and are condemned to this roar do? – asks Paweł Kędzia.

One of such people is Mrs. Maria, a resident of Mostowa Street. Her apartment is directly facing the street. As he says, what is happening is beyond human understanding at times.

– It's very bothersome. These cars are tuned. It has such an effect on the psyche that one has the impression that it is constantly pounding in the ears and that the walls are shaking. They step on the gas and drive at high speed. On weekends, they start at 10 p.m. and run until 3 a.m. I sometimes call the police and all I hear is that no one will stop anyone from driving, and the cars are inspected, says the woman.

If she knew this would be what her life would be like retired after moving from Warsaw, she would not make this decision.

– I live on the street side. When I go to sleep, I have earplugs in. I used to live in Warsaw, I retired and decided to move to Brodnica. I didn't know this city, I bought an apartment, but I wouldn't do it again. In Warsaw I have never experienced such noise as here – adds the resident of Brodnica.

And he adds: – Going into town or sitting on a bench in the Big Market Square is no pleasure at all. Even on Mostowa Street there is a place for children to play. God forbid, a child runs out and a tragedy occurs.

Paweł Kędzia emphasizes that after taking up the mandate of a councilor in the last local government elections, one of the first requests he sent to the mayor of Brodnica was to conduct a noise intensity study.

– It was primarily about learning the scale of the problem. Unfortunately, the city did not agree to this request, the councilor notes.

Drivers and motorcyclists take a liking to the charming old town of Brodnica. They enter here from the extension of national road number 15, continuing towards Hallera, Przykop and Mostowa streets. Dense and compact development causes a kind of “well effect”. Loud sounds often emitted by vehicles with modified exhaust systems further intensify the noise that is carried around the center of Brodnica.

– How to solve the noise problem? Devices are needed for this. Unfortunately, the police who have sonometers, i.e. devices for measuring sound, require that an appropriate distance be maintained from the vehicle and the surroundings so that no barriers cause sound reflection. They are not able to do this on the Big Market Square – explains Paweł Kędzia.

Why? This is explained by the Brodnica police commander in response to the councilor's request.

“In the area of ​​Mały and Duży Rynek and Hallera streets, especially on weekends in the evening and at night, road traffic patrols equipped with a device for measuring the noise level emitted by vehicles traveling on the streets of the center of Brodnica are systematically deployed in order to detect and eliminate vehicles whose condition is technical equipment threatens the safety and order in road traffic, and also violates environmental protection requirements. However, the use of the device included in the equipment of the local police station is subject to a number of restrictions imposed on the user by the manufacturer, i.e., the place where the measurement is carried out should be located. in an open area. There should be no acoustic obstacles within 3 meters of the outline of the tested vehicle that could cause a reflected wave. The ambient noise level should be lower than the noise level generated by the vehicle by at least 10 dB also the density and number of parked vehicles sometimes make it impossible to carry out this type of inspection. In such cases, police patrols move to another area of ​​the city that meets technical conditions and allows for monitoring noise emissions from passing vehicles,” explains Inspector Tomasz Skonieczka.

The police patrol the area around the Brodnica Old Town on an ongoing basis. There is a special patrol delegated for this purpose. The first effects are already visible. At the turn of August and September, there were a lot of fines for emitting too much noise.

– Police officers in the city center carried out 36 vehicle inspections, imposed a total of 45 fines, including for poor technical condition, and detained 9 registration certificates for poor technical condition, including vehicles exceeding noise standards – says junior aspirant Paweł Dominiak, press officer of the District Police Headquarters in Brodnica.

– Recently, the services have really taken care of it. From the turn of August and September there is a dedicated patrol, which also patrols the city center area especially on weekends – says Paweł Kędzia.

How could the problem be solved, since noise measurement by the police does not seem to be entirely effective? In the councilor's opinion, one of the solutions may be to limit speed by, for example, installing speed bumps or raised pedestrian crossings. There is currently only one on the Brodnica market square that fulfills its role. However, more would be useful. It is possible that such will be created.

– You should limit your speed because drivers accelerate significantly just outside the door. They drive through a bottleneck and then enter Mostowa Street or turn left into Przykop Street, where they can afford high speeds. The traffic should be slowed down to eliminate squeaks and various sounds caused by speed. The next step would be to do something with the vehicles that are being modified, Kędzia emphasizes.

He explains that at one of the sessions, the city proposed the idea of ​​introducing a seasonal entry ban for two-wheelers at the beginning. – For now, it is a general concept that is already being slightly modified, because officials have been contacted by motorcyclists who feel discriminated against – adds the councilor.

What does the city say? Mayor Jarosław Radacz, in his response to councilor Kędzia, notices the problem and refers to the cooperation of the city hall with the police in this matter.

“The problem of noisy cars and motorcycles is not only a problem of the Old Town and its surroundings. Drivers using “modified exhaust systems” in their vehicles also affect residents of other districts of our city. Polish law provides for sanctions for driving too loudly and drivers must expect a fine. when their vehicles have too loud “exhaust”. The police have the competences and tools to control road traffic regulations. We asked the District Police Headquarters in Brodnica to pay special attention to the traffic of vehicles generating high noise levels in our city,” he writes. writing Jarosław Radacz.

The topic of modified silencers is also raised by Mr. Jarosław, a resident of Brodnica. In his opinion, the roar of vehicles can be heard not only in the city center, but also in other parts of the city.

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– Everything that happens on modified silencers is harmful. In addition, there is drifting, which also happens in Brodnica. Large cities are dealing with it slowly, in Brodnica it is still in its infancy. This is a very narrow group of people, most often young people, aged 18 to 35. They like to press down, they like the sound. They find it amusing when their vehicles make loud noises while driving through the city center. But this is not only a problem of the center of Brodnica, but also of other parts of the city. The Brodnica bypass is a place where the roar of engines regularly occurs. I talk to friends who also complain about this problem. One of them said in a conversation with me that sound-absorbing screens will mute normal traffic, but not the powerful roar of the engine – notes Mr. Jarosław.