I’m surprised you didn’t get a better response to the letters on bullet boats.
Since other lakes have banned them we will get more here.
I hope someone will take the initiative to form a committee with law enforcement officers to address a city bylaw change. I am unable to do that but I have done some research and I have found that there are legal regulations already in place.
The federal regulation on Noise Reduction on Power-driven Vessels states that the muffler has to be in good working order, equipped with a muffler cut-out or bypass that cannot be changed easily while the boat is operational and the exhaust gases must be directed under water through the propeller hub or below the cavitations’ plate.
The City of Salmon Arm should be able to add this to our noise bylaw.
I was informed that in Kelowna, “the City and RDCO Noise bylaws also stipulate boats must have an exhaust system or they cannot even be launched. This is a $500 fine. An enforcement officer can direct any person that a vessel not be operated until it meets requirements under the regulations or act (i.e. have a muffling system). So we used that section as well as ticketing to get the message across. There was extensive media coverage which helped as well as more enforcement.”
Education is also important as a lot of people, including enforcers, don’t know that this type of exhaust system is a legal offence.
Whether this will stop speeding is another matter, but perhaps the ‘look at me’ factor will disappear.
Ann Robertson