Bostonist: Cambridge City Council Aflutter Over Leaf Blowers

Caroline Roberts

Fri, 07 Dec 2007 16:37:26 -0500

Agreed. The population density alone guarantees more noise, and, maybe it's just me, but I don't have problems with leaf blowers. I'd rather hear them than, say, jackhammers.

kane

Fri, 07 Dec 2007 16:17:22 -0500

I don't think anyone is saying that if you live in a city you should expect to have a shitty life. That being said, if you have a choice to live in an area like Cambridge or an area like Dover, you have to expect that Cambridge would be slightly louder than Dover. Again, no one thinks people living in cities are destined for a shitty existence, but almost everyone would agree that people living in cities would be exposed to a much noisier environment.

wellbasically

Fri, 07 Dec 2007 15:35:06 -0500

Sorry to go into all caps, but the phrase "you live in a city so you should expect TO HAVE SUBSTANDARD QUALITY OF LIFE" DRIVES ME UP THE WALL. Noise Pollution Takes Toll on Health and Happiness Everyday Noise Can Overstimulate the Body's Stress Response By Rick Weiss Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, June 5, 2007; HE05 A growing body of evidence confirms that the chronic din of construction crews, road projects, jet traffic and, yes, those ubiquitous leaf blowers, is taking a toll on our health and happiness.... "Everyday noise is under the radar, yet it affects everyone's life," said Louis Hagler, a retired physician in Oakland, Calif., and an advocate for quiet, who recently published in the Southern Medical Journal a review of studies linking noise exposures to health problems. "We don't say to people, 'You just have to learn to live with sewage in your water,' " Hagler said in an interview. "Why should we tolerate sewage coming into our ears?" http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/04/AR2007060401430_pf.html

aging cynic

Fri, 07 Dec 2007 13:49:59 -0500

Sounds like a case of "Santa Monica Envy".

kane

Fri, 07 Dec 2007 13:30:23 -0500

I'm glad this is the most important docket on the Cambridge council's schedule.