its a sad end for western springs speedway

[Deano]

Hmmm, by LAW they are in the right. The Speedway has had 10 years to sort it's act out. Either the law changes or the speedway shuts down. Personnally I don't give a toss either way. They can all come down here and use our one :spudwave:

Has the Council only just started receiving complaints or should they have been monitoring the noise levels long ago ?

The speedway organisers should have objected to the rule change and Im no lawyer but check this out from the RMA.

"Certain existing uses in relation to land protected—

[(1)Land may be used in a manner that contravenes a rule in a district plan or proposed district plan if—

(a)Either—

(i)The use was lawfully established before the rule became operative or the proposed plan was notified; and


(ii)The effects of the use are the same or similar in character, intensity, and scale to those which existed before the rule became operative or the proposed plan was notified: "

[Deano]

My partner just told me that the complainants have all been named and are getting hate mail etc.

Oh the poor whinging pricks - now they will know what it feels like to have your world turned upside down. You reap what you sow.

[thehollowmen]

I'm not from Western Springs, but I did stay there on call for work once...

It is noisy, and once a week is pretty bad if you've got off one shift and have only six or eight hours to sleep before you start another shift (for example off 8 pm then on at at 3 am) it can get a bit tiring week after week. I offered to work through 3 shifts like that because the noise was so bad and I couldn't sleep but there was no way they'd let me. And the pay wasn't good enough to hire a motel room.

After 3 weeks I was a wreck and had to find another place to stay.

I don't want it closed, but there must be a way to limit engine noise for the local events... I'm sure fitting standard restricters or something would work.

You might say once a week for six months is fine by you, but I really don't think it is. Ten events a year at full noise and the rest at reduced would be a lot better option but it hasn't happened.

Then again, has the speedway been telling the car owners that they've been having lots of noise complaints?

[Blakamin]

LIVED REAL CLOSE TO THE TRACK AS A CHILD AND NONE OF MY FRIENDS OR I HAVE BEEN TRAUMATISED BY THE NOISE.

I thought that was why you typed in caps......

[Deano]

It is noisy, and once a week is pretty bad if you've got off one shift and have only six or eight hours to sleep before you start another shift (for example off 8 pm then on at at 3 am) it can get a bit tiring week after week. I offered to work through 3 shifts like that because the noise was so bad and I couldn't sleep but there was no way they'd let me. And the pay wasn't good enough to hire a motel room.

After 3 weeks I was a wreck and had to find another place to stay.

I don't want it closed, but there must be a way to limit engine noise for the local events... I'm sure fitting standard restricters or something would work.

You might say once a week for six months is fine by you, but I really don't think it is. Ten events a year at full noise and the rest at reduced would be a lot better option but it hasn't happened.

Can see your point but the noise is part of the atmosphere that is motorsport. Also, 5dBA reduction to meet the noise limit is not much of a difference and unlikely to stop some people losing sleep, unless they change bedrooms (to far side of the house) or wear ear plugs.

What about people living in inner city apartments ? Unless the apartment was built with specific acoustic measures in mind, the residents are likely to receive noise levels of about 60-65dBA from bars and clubs (complying with their noise limit), and this goes on for at least 3 times per week, every week.

I know I couldn't sleep with that level of noise but I CHOOSE not to live in those areas.

Shift workers will always get a rougher deal as daytime noise limits (7.00am to 10.00pm generally) are always higher than those at night. Restricting the events to 10.00pm may help some but not all.

[Bonez]

My partner just told me that the complainants have all been named and are getting hate mail etc.

Oh the poor whinging pricks - now they will know what it feels like to have your world turned upside down. You reap what you sow.

Wow hate mail very mature indeed-why not just lynch them? Those whinging pricks took proactive action. Not like the tossers who've waited after the fact to act.

[thehollowmen]

Can see your point but the noise is part of the atmosphere that is motorsport. Also, 5dBA reduction to meet the noise limit is not much of a difference and unlikely to stop some people losing sleep, unless they change bedrooms (to far side of the house) or wear ear plugs.

What about people living in inner city apartments ? Unless the apartment was built with specific acoustic measures in mind, the residents are likely to receive noise levels of about 60-65dBA from bars and clubs (complying with their noise limit), and this goes on for at least 3 times per week, every week.

I know I couldn't sleep with that level of noise but I CHOOSE not to live in those areas.

Shift workers will always get a rougher deal as daytime noise limits (7.00am to 10.00pm generally) are always higher than those at night. Restricting the events to 10.00pm may help some but not all.

I undestand that people have choice, but when working there I didn't have much choice in the matter. that was where the free accomodation was...

I know that noise is some of the thrill of motorsport, which is why I tried to give some lee-way for the big events there, cause I didnt' want to appear like a motorsport nazi. Then again, it is better than proposing a giant double glased bubble-sphere around it

I AM sorry to see it go, it has been good to keep the kids out of trouble on a saturday night.

[James Deuce]

Noise = HP. You couldn't put 26 standard road cars on the track at Western Springs and beat those noise limits. Everyone seems to be forgetting the the dBa scale is logrithmic, not linear. 5 points is not increments on a scale that adds a little bit of noise, 85dBa is many TIMES louder than 80.

I've crewed at Western Springs for two drivers and I also attempted to get graded so I could race there, but had an accident that wrote the midget off. I was running a 12a rotary with a tuned length exhaust, some major port work and ceramic tip rotors. In isolation it was really loud. Then Lindsay McKillop would start up his 13b and I wouldn't be able to tell if mine was running anymore. The VWs were louder still, and the odd Cosworth that was around then ('84) was louder than the VWs despite the water jacket.

There was only one old coot back then that used to complain about the noise, but the limit then was 95 or 98 dBa 500m from the stadium. It was an accepted hazard that if you bought along the hill above Western Springs it was loud on Wednesday night and Saturday night. Most of the people up there used to be fans, and on test nights they would have their NZ flags up along the fenceline. Just goes to show what adopting aspects of US culture will do to a country if you let it.

[sAsLEX]

For thoose complaining about the noise try sleep on a ship, ten feet from cavitating props as you turn at 20 knots!! While doing standing middle morning watches as well as daywork! Many people do this so whats a little 85dB?

If I recall correctly a 3dB drop in sound is half the sound so dropping the limit by 5 is a fair whack!

oh all the comlainints were named on closeup @ 7 or whatever holmes is called these days

[James Deuce]

If I recall correctly a 3dB drop in sound is half the sound so dropping the limit by 5 is a fair whack!

That is correct.

[Deano]

That is correct.

Not quite - a 10dBA increase is the equivalent to a doubling of the noise to the human ear. If you put two noise sources producing the same level side by side then you will get a 3dBA increase. Not quite the same thing.

So 90dBA is twice as loud as 80dBA. My point was that 5dBA is not a sufficient enough decrease to prevent sleep disturbance for some people, especially if it annoys them as they will become more sensitised to it.

I know of people who claim they can't sleep with 33dBA outside their house.

[Deano]

Wow hate mail very mature indeed-why not just lynch them? Those whinging pricks took proactive action. Not like the tossers who've waited after the fact to act.

Don't lynch em, drag em around the track a few times. That would be much more fun.

Those 'proactivists' moved into the area with their eyes and ears wide open. Now they have rallied together, formed a lobby group and exerted their pressure on the Council to do something about it.

I am not aware whether the Council consulted with the speedway about the rule change, but there is bugger all chance that the noise limit could be met.

When does the next proposed plan start being drafted and public make submissions - my bet is if the speedway does somehow manage to meet the noise limit and carry on operating, submissions from nearby neighbours will continue to seek a lower noise limit each time until the speedway is gone for ever.

[James Deuce]

Not quite - a 10dBA increase is the equivalent to a doubling of the noise to the human ear. If you put two noise sources producing the same level side by side then you will get a 3dBA increase. Not quite the same thing.

So 90dBA is twice as loud as 80dBA. My point was that 5dBA is not a sufficient enough decrease to prevent sleep disturbance for some people, especially if it annoys them as they will become more sensitised to it.

I know of people who claim they can't sleep with 33dBA outside their house.

Sorry Deano - I didn't understand the point you were trying to make. It is impossible to meet those noise limits. A large percentage of the sound is tyre and crowd noise, with the odd transitory peak provided by the PA system.

I think it's just low brow property speculation. Buy a house with a view of a lake, and then bitch about a generations old race track that gave you the house with the nice view at a cheap price until it goes away.

Rock Concerts at Western Springs make FAAR more noise than the racing. There was a convection layer over Auckland for the (I think) '87 ZZTOP concert and you could hear it on the Nth Shore. I left early to get some medical treatment after I got caught between the Mongrel Mob and the Police and took a few blows to the head. You could wind down the window in the car and still hear it going over Hubbub Ridge

[Deano]

I sometimes don't understand the point Im trying to make either.

The last Big Day Out I went to, you could hear the music from miles away too. That'll be the next fun thing to go.

I think the laid back kiwi attitude is fast fading away. People seem less tolerant of the actions of others, especially if it annoys them in some way. Although, on the other hand, maybe people are less considerate than they used to be also. Back in the 60's Council's were lucky to receive a few noise complaints a year - now its several every night.

You know what happens when you slowly introduce more and more rats into a confined area...

[Coyote]

Is there a replacement of western springs planned? Surely the can sort out another venue