Lord Tunderin' - Ban The Loud Exhausts!

Just got back from a week of meetings in Québec City. Unfortunately, my employer no longer allows us to use our personal vehicles for company travel - so I had to hop on a plane rather than ride my trusty V-Strom. Boring? Yes. However, I was surprised that the security personnel at the airport were at least pleasant to deal with (contrary to their usual demeanor). But I digress, this is a motorcycle blog after all!

For those of you who've never been to Québec City, I highly recommend it. It's about as close to Europe as you can get without leaving the continent (of course, St-Pierre and Miquelon islands are an exception). The Old City is among North America's only fortified cities (it's enclosed within a stone wall), and it's listed on UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. A word of advice however: take the plane, or the car, or even a horse. Ain't no use in going on two wheels, because you won't be able to visit some of the city's best assets with that particular mode of transportation. Wondering why? Read on.

I was lucky enough to be staying at the beautiful Château Laurier, just a few steps from the Old City and its European flair. While walking along the streets that line one of the gates into the Old City, a number of street signs caught my eye. The first was posted on all the parking meters along the Grande Allée, which is a busy street lined with restaurants, terraces, hotels and various nightclubs. These small stick-on signs were on the posts for the parking meters and had the international icon for "No Parking" with a depiction of a motorcycle underneath. Yup, you guessed it! Motorcycles are not allowed to park along this street. Not only that, most of the metered and drive-in parking lots within a three block radius of this area are off limits to motorcycles! Care to ponder why? Simple, the local business owners and residents were fed-up with the excessive noise of straight-pipes and sport exhausts; so they lobbied city hall and had the restrictions put in place. So if you're in this particular area in Québec City, you can drive through but don't stop, 'cause you'll have no place to park.


Of course, if you are driving through, be sure to take the detour before you get to the gates of the Old City. As is clearly marked on street signs along Grande Allée, all motorcycles must exit before the gates, as they are not allowed within the narrow streets of the Old City. Again, you can thank the Loud Pipes crowd for that one. Since these streets are narrow, mostly made of cobblestones, and most of the small historical buildings are made of brick, stone and mortar; the sound from loud exhausts would reverberate throughout these streets and be a nuisance to all within earshot.

Now I read that Edmonton's Chief of Police is lobbying for similar rules in certain parts of that city. Once again, motorcyclists everywhere will be made to pay for other's need for attention.