TAB Editor Andy Levin writes…
City Council should revisit its recently toughened leaf blower ordinance, as evidence reveals the city government has had trouble enforcing the new law.
Read the rest here and comment below. It would be especially interesting to hear from our city council candidates
No, it just needs compliance
Decibel levels are not a determinant of power.
Andy – Great Editorial and very accurate. Yes – the City Council cannot have it both ways – but they did not understand that when they voted on this ill conceived Bill. And they have allowed the City Vendors to use the 77 Db blowers since we needed to make sure that the city was PRISTINE for Marathon Monday and the 4th of July. And yes I am sure some vendors are not complying as you reported about the sloppy conditions at Newton South. But I wonder in the Fall how the city and the tax payers will feel when they are paying the vendors to clean city property and either they have to use the 77 Db blower to clean, leave it a mess like they did at South or charge the city more money to clean up the leaves.
Institutional Newton has a proven track record of unintended unenforceable well-meaning quality of life ordinances.
Sometimes the municipal legislators will not understand that every frivolous NPD RP potentially distracts away ‘life-saving’ resource time, and unfortunately due to limited municipal financial resource might cost someone their life when seconds count.
Wake up Newton, entitlement mentality is standing in the doorway of reason.
While on the subject of ‘unintended unenforceable well-meaning quality of life ordinances’, Newton is on the verge of a trial ‘ORGANICS’ program. Here we go again – this program in the 60’s was called the ‘swill’ program, add 25 years and another syllable it becomes the fashionable ‘compost’ program, add 25 years and another fashionable syllable voila the ‘organics’ program. Same waste repackaged in stylish ornamental Newton entitlement PC form.
so one might ask what the unintended consequences might be? In true form, the trash police will force ‘Blue Newton’ (the silent blue collar workers) to either bury the swell swill deeper in the blue trash cart, or as most entitlement minded citizens will do, rely more heavily on their garbage disposal use. The unintended consequence of greater use of garbage disposals carries with it 4 resident burdens:
burden of electricity, burden of domestic water use, burden of sewer use, and the real kicker – the sight of a plumbers crack under the sink repairing the GD pipes..
@Andy is right on. The Councilors that worked to defend the small business owner, while at the same time seeking to make life peaceful in the neighborhoods have a great understanding of the issues. You may recall that in June a Citizens Petition to revisit the summer ban was not able to be discussed as the ordinance was newly on the books, however, the agreement on the Council was that I would docket an item to review the program, good/bad, at the conclusion of the season.
The dynamics are that the body has Councilors with strong positions (and that’s OK) on the equipment that was able to convince others that this was a good idea. This is for a variety of reasons and in no small part due to a general lack of understanding of equipment, workload intensity, etc.
My concerns then and now are that Newton’s limited clout in the marketplace will not be enough to push rapid equipment changes by manufacturers, so saying we are setting the bar for the industry is thinking a little too highly of ourselves.
The reality is that no one can actually tell the difference between a 77 dba and a 65 dba in their neighborhood, no one, making this an arbitrary bar.
The ordinance was ill conceived, poorly researched (no manufacturers presented at the committee), and still no one on the City Council can actually explain dba’s and what one hears at certain distances. We listened to many explanations and some surely would have failed a middle school science review.
Sometimes we have to admit to mistakes and correct things for the good of all.
Anecdotally, this summer feels a lot quieter in my neighborhood. It may just be my imagination though. Is anyone else feeling that way? Of course, the real test will come in November.
My quality of life is much improved with this ban.
The noise leaf blowers make is a function of muffling not power and effectiveness. There are many that do an excellent job of cleaning clippings and leaves from a lawn while emitting no more than 66 decibels of noise. They need to be phased into use.
Several are listed here – in 2014.
https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2014/04/let-s-give-a-shout-out-to-the-quietest-leaf-blowers/index.htm
@Newtoner, My neighborhood feels way quieter, too! For example, I live next door to a two-family home WITH NO LAWN and the landlord had always hired a landscaping company that used their leaf blowers egregiously. They would send over an entire team with leafblowers every Wednesday to spend over an hour on a 2-car driveway. Their driveway is right next to my house, so working from home proved challenging on those days. They haven’t come since May, and it’s been glorious.
Response to Newtoner: Absolutely! It’s definitely quieter now, when many landscapers are actually obeying the law and either using electric leaf blowers, or not any leaf blowers at all this summer. And it was absolutely, definitely quieter this Spring when a lot of landscapers had switched from those deafening, incredibly polluting 77dB or louder leaf blowers to the much, much, much quieter 65dB blowers that the law permits. Of course, there are still some scofflaws who are ignoring and even flagrantly breaking the law, and it would appear there may even be a Councilor or two who may be encouraging them to do so. If so, Shame on them!
For what it’s worth: I have been informed that there has been a heavy volume of leaf blower complaints made to NPD since this spring, when the law took effect. This person, whom I trust would have accurate info, said these complaints have almost exclusively been made by a group comprised of approximately a dozen individuals.
I can only imagine what the situation will be like this fall for our police.
Andy, many of us haven’t had to complain. The noise is WAY down in my neighborhood this summer. I’m outside all the time in the morning. I walk to the train or bus every day, and often work at home. It is such a measurable difference that I’m surprised by it.
I’m sure there are certain individuals who were passionate about this issue and are “policing” the landscapers. Can’t say I’m too upset by that, since the complaints I’m assuming are for those landscapers breaking the law. I haven’t filed a compliant because I haven’t had to, like I said, it’s been quiet.
I gotta say, your editorial is rather… small. You’ve take a sample of one contractor who has been warned by the city, a bad clean up job near Newton South, and you’ve chosen to generalize your conclusion. From this small sample…disaster. That type of logic doesn’t bode well for building trust in your larger community, and perhaps that is because that is what the Tab is these days…small. I don’t mean that as an insult, I just mean that you’ve got a reduced budget, reduced staff, and reduced vision (this is the strongest stand I’ve seen you take in a while). You could have sent a reporter out to track down some of those complainers and to shadow them some weekday to see if they had a point about violations. You could have sent a reporter out to follow around a few landscaping crews to see if they used electric, and then interview their owners (not fair to ambush the workers in my mind, since they don’t make the decisions). Or you can use a few randomly plucked samples, draw a conclusion about inability to provide the same service from the limited sample, not take into account the MANY folks who seem to like this particular compromise just fine, and call it a day. Like I said, small.
Also, with all due respect, most of us don’t live next to large city parcels. I personally don’t care what the city contractors do. I’m not happy that they are breaking the ordinance, but the fact that they are doesn’t mean that the work can’t be done with the lesser equipment. Perhaps they, I don’t know, want to make as much money as possible in as little time as possible? Perhaps they don’t want to buy new equipment? Perhaps they haven’t trained their workers? Perhaps they were given special permission due to large events? Perhaps the machine was set at a less loud setting? Perhaps the Tab editors should take a class in statistics, and learn that Correlation isn’t Causation.
Here is what I care about in my selfish little worldview. My summer has been quiet. My mornings have been quiet. My neighbors yards still look terrific and make me jealous. The sun has risen, the sun has set, and on certain days, I had lunch (at home.) (bonus points to anyone who remembers who said the quote). And thanks to the city, the lives of those who live at home or work from home was made a little bit better.
You end your editorial stating that you expect “tough questions” to be asked of the candidates down the homestretch about this issue. I’d welcome tough questions about a whole host of things. Development, traffic, tree planting, affordable housing, road paving, pensions, police and firemen overtime, the charter, village improvements, Pike pollution, drug crisis in Newton, school rebuilding, zoning, permitting, the Spanish Inquisition, art funding in our schools, literacy and math levels, speed traps, Needham Street, Add a lane, Hubway coming to Newton, Washington Street bike lanes connecting to Boston bound streets, building over the Pike (to keep Mike S. happy), which candidates are supported by the NVA, which candidates support the charter, the sorry state of our parks, why our playgrounds are so much less attractive then neighboring towns, and oh yes, the mayor race.
But hey, let’s ask those tough questions about the leaf blowers. I’m sure that will be the issue of the season.
Like I said, small.
C’mon Andy. Let’s let the compromise work for a year or two. The landscapers need to follow the law, the city needs to follow the law, and we all need to see how we like it.
I’ve been enjoying the benefits of modern medicine, bicycling for the first time in a decade with my new titanium knees (0 decibel version) and observing the lawn services as I pass by. Every company I’ve gone by has used the old, illegal, technology. I’ve spoken to my neighbor’s service and they said they were hit with a warning once… not enough to make them change. The law is unenforced/unenforceable and lawn companies are doing their thing, considering their risk/costs and deciding to let it ride for now.
Until technology catches up and electric can compete with gas, don’t expect much change among the guys who feed their children with landscape services.
Seems like this is another case of the city passing something that doesn’t speak for the whole city. If anyone thinks that the city is quieter it’s probably just a figure of your imagination. Driving around town all I can see is landscapers breaking the law. In regards to Andy I think he has a point if the city contractors won’t do the job without gas blowers, what does that tell us? There’s just not enough people to care about this in the city, and as you can see the results are starting to show.
I definitely see lots of gas leaf blowers, too. But you know what I haven’t seen this summer? A crew of 3 or 4 guys, all with blowers, simultaneously blowing around some dust and clippings. I think that’s why it’s so much quieter.
I think this summer the City has been quiet in general–seems like more and more people go away to their 2nd (or 3rd) home.
I never stopped using my gas leaf blower. It doesn’t get used much in summer but like every other week I rake out the dead grass and blow the leaves (yes some leaves fall in summer), twigs and blossom/seed pods that fall off the trees. Takes like 10 mins to blow it into a pile and then I pick it up. No one cares.
I’ve also seen them in use at the many fixed income apartment buildings in the City–are they going to get fined? nope. They’re also used for gutter cleaning and construction like to clean up decks before staining, new siding too.
just tear this stupid ordinance from the books and while you’re at it you can delete the “drone registration” and $100 off-leash dog park fee, which are also largely ignored.
“Newton Leaf Blower Serenade
By Andy Levin
Posted Nov 25, 2014 at 6:15 PM
Updated Nov 25, 2014 at 7:13 PM
Taken from my backyard on Selwyn Road, the Highlands, about 7:30 Tuesday morning. Note how they totally ignore me when stepping over into my yard, blowing dust and leaves all over the place.” (http://newton.wickedlocal.com/article/20141125/BLOGS/311259969)
Evidently, the video Mr. Levin had linked to this Newton Tab posting showing landscapers using leaf blowers in his neighbor’s yard and trespassing with them onto his property is no longer on-line. Perhaps Mr. Levin would kindly re-post it.
And, I believe the Tab also published a more detailed editorial by Mr. Levin’s about this in its print edition on or around the same date, but i’m not sure and am still searching for it. If it did, perhaps he would kindly post that here, too.
Thank you.
Alex,
We did change video platforms a couple years ago, which might be why it is no longer available.
I do remember that column, one of the earliest I wrote for the TAB. It described a cacophony created by the blowers, but also clearly stated I would never favor banning them. I think I ended the column with a question, asking what could be done to mitigate the noise. Are there landscapers who misuse the blowers? Absolutely. Like the ones in that video or as Tricia described above. But this ordinance is not the answer. I think it hurts more than it helps and, as many have commented here, is unenforceable.
What Fig said.
Highlighting a couple of episodes of non-compliance isn’t a meaningful data point. The rest of the editorial is simply rehashing the argument once again.
We’ve got more important issues, let’s move on and revisit in a couple of years if needed.
Councilors! Take note of how many people are reporting an improvement in their quality of life.
This is NOT one of the Tab’s finest editorials. It’s premature to assess the success of the ban before the first leaf has fallen. The arguments are vague and weak. I am scratching my head trying to understand where this is coming from.
Newton will probably look just as beautiful as it always has, and in my opinion even more beautiful if a few leaves stay on the ground to remind us we are part of nature. Spotless, manicured lawn are not the face of everything.
The Stihl 500 BR is a 65 decibel Leaf Blower with reduced emissions and the power of the older 77 decibel level units.
http://tinyurl.com/ybjkytfx
Battery powered devices and tools of all sorts keep evolving and get more powerful and quieter as time moves on. Technology and improvements don’t stand still and the pace of technological change tends to increase with greater velocity.
Necessity is the mother of invention – so as more and more communities ban loud devices with unacceptable levels of pollution, the more it increases the pressure on corporations to up their R&D game and improve their product offerings. That is another reason that (in principle) I favor a ban, or more to the point, some level of reasonable regulation.
Perhaps the ban could have been phased in better to give the contractors more lead-time to transition to alternative methods to get the job done.
Here’s sort of a nutty idea – to help mitigate the inconvenience and expense that the ban may have caused; offer a buyback program (similar to what some police departments use to get guns off the streets). Newton could offer to buy the 77 decibel models from contractors working in town who will use the funds to offset the cost of buying newer equipment, like the Stihl 500 BR. We might then re-sell the used equipment to others in nearby cities and towns where the 77 decibel models are not banned. (That’s a stretch, I know)
I favor vacuum systems or (for large tracts of land) riding mowers / tractors with rotating brushes that sweep up, mulch and bag leaves or grass clippings.
Blowers kick up clouds of dirt, pollen and pollutants and these clouds can travel a good ways while still maintaining a certain density. Of course a strong windstorm might do the same thing on a larger scale, so I’m not sure how good the air pollution argument (made by the moderator of last night’s mayoral forum) actually is
Alex was kind enough to dig up the column I wrote about the leaf blowers almost three years ago. I think it was perhaps the third or fourth piece I wrote for the TAB. (I’ll post it below).
My position on the issue would appear to have dramatically evolved, and it has to some degree, but first let me offer some perspective: When I wrote that piece I was expressing frustration with a couple things — how much time I was spending in the late fall every week raking… and a crew of landscapers next door who were quite obviously misusing the blowers. I still don’t like the sound blowers make ; who in their right mind would? But as the political process played out over the next couple years, my opinion was greatly informed by what I viewed as a one-sided plan that didn’t take into account enough the needs of the homeowners/businesses who rely on landscapers and the landscaping companies themselves. I still think the ordinance can be amended to better meet the needs of all parties involved. But that will take real communication, as took place in Arlington several years ago. The tone of the column below is very different than now, I admit. Two-plus years of watching this debate is the reason.
“In the Garden City, we are blessed with gorgeous tree-lined streets, but there is an associated cost beginning in late October and through the end of November: either pay a landscaper to clean up the leaves or spend several hours every weekend doing it yourself.
“Count me among the latter group. Our house in the Highlands has terrific shade in the summer, which mitigates the need to run the air-conditioning, but last year I raked an estimated 60 to 70 bags of leaves… and I packed them quite tight. The exercise was beneficial and there certainly are less pleasant chores (shoveling snow immediately comes to mind). But I can think of better ways to spend a Sunday.
“There are a couple reasons I don’t hire a company to get rid of the leaves. The first is I would rather not spend the money. The other is that I have a problem with leaf blowers.
“There…I said it: I don’t like leaf blowers. While I am skeptical of claims they significantly contribute to air pollution, it is obvious they blow dust and allergens all over the place. My biggest complaint, though, is that leaf blowers are extraordinarily noisy. They produce a high-pitched whine that is terribly annoying, especially when I’m trying to relax at home or take a peaceful walk during the weekend. I am not exactly sure why, but the sound of a lawnmower doesn’t irritate me all that much. The noise is much less piercing and seems to endure for a shorter period of time.
“Should we outright ban leaf blowers, as suggested by a growing number of letters to the editor here? The libertarian inside me says no. I suppose I will have to live with the obnoxious noise that disrupts too many otherwise peaceful autumn days. Meanwhile, I will spend another couple of weekends with a rake in hand, knee-deep in a pile of leaves. “
Andy, during those 3 years in which you changed your mind, more and more companies started manufacturing powerful leaf blowers with more muffled sound – several have been listed in this thread.
We hashed the changes to this law to death over those years. Surely there are more pressing issues for the editor of the Tab to cover – I know there are more pressing matters for the candidates and councilors to consider.
It has definitely been quieter this summer. I think of this summer as a period for phasing in the changes to the law. I appreciate the residents who took it upon themselves to report violations to the NPD. If no violations were reported, your next editorial would state that if residents aren’t complaining, there must not be a problem with violations.
@Marti, when this inane ordinance was debated many people thought it was a waste of time but you thought it was oh so important yet now that it’s on the books suddenly you want us to believe “there are more pressing matters”.
too funny.
I agree with many above who posted it is much quieter this summer. From having these firing up around me 2-3 times a week at 7:01 AM last summer it has gone to not hearing anything at all. And all the lawns still look good.
It’s much quieter in my neighborhood and I live on a block where people don’t spend the summer out of town. The crew I use for my yard has stopped using leaf blowers when they aren’t doing a major seasonal clean-up. It makes a huge difference to me because when there’s leaf blower use, I can’t open my windows for a long time after they leave because of all the crap they blow into the air (allergies and asthma).
David M, did I now? I expect proof that I thought this was “oh so important” other than supporting a compromise rather than a complete ban. This ordinance is that compromise. I do work from home and find it much quieter now but I wasn’t among those who brought this noise problem up.
From someone who readily admits on this blog that he breaks the aforementioned law, I’m not expecting much. What brazen entitlement!
My neighborhood is WAY quieter this year. It is so much nicer! I agree with everyone who feels the quality of life is much improved for those of us who like our windows open and/or like to sit outside. Count me in as a supporter of the ban.