Editor,
My house is at the lower end of the 400 block of Nyes Place. As a young man I was raised on automobile road racing, starting out in handicap races at the now famous Goodwood circuit in the south of England, then graduating to principally endurance racing. The sound of good engines is still an elixir and magic to me. I can tell which ones are working well and those that are not. Many times I can tell the make and model of the car or bike just by the sound it makes.
Lower Nyes Place is narrow and deep in a canyon. I can call across to the other side of the street to my neighbor and readily hear the echo of my voice. The same phenomenon occurs with car and bike exhaust notes; they reverberate across the canyon and right into my house and others’.
There are some specific exhaust notes I quickly recognize – Audi R8s, turbo Porsches, some BMWs, some Mercedes Benzes, the 427 Cobra and all Harley Davidsons. I just ask that the drivers and riders who hammer it up Nyes Place, most exceeding the specified 25 miles per hour speed limit, would give some consideration to the noise their machines generate, and just pedal them quietly up the hill. I love the speed, the thrill and excitement of extreme acceleration, but just not when in amongst people’s homes.
A few Harley Davidson riders also delight in unnecessarily blipping their throttles when descending towards the 300 block. Psychiatrists have a few indelicate words describing this habit.
I ask that those of you who know whom I’m talking about consider what it would be like if I revved up a 400 horsepower car outside your home?
Please tone it down, obey the speed limit and, moreover, be considerate of those who live on our lovely street.
[I have an additional idea! Remove the uphill stop sign at 370 Nyes Place, then one wouldn’t have to stand on the throttle quite so much!]
Bob Proudlock, Laguna Beach
