New Hope residents want motorists to ‘rev it down’

A new campaign to combat the ever-present sound of motorcyclists and hot-rod drivers revving their engines has hit the streets of New Hope, Pennsylvania. The “Rev it Down” campaign is asking motorists to curb the noise.

 

Although there is just a small group of culprits, Police Chief Michael Cummings said he won’t tolerate the behavior.

“If they’re operating it in such a way that they’re purposefully making a lot of noise in low-gear and revving it, they’re getting stopped and they’re getting cited,” he said. “We’re not giving those guys warnings.”

Violators may be fined $100 and up.

Mike Gabel from Westfield, New Jersey, says the noise is not an issue for him.

“I’ve grown up in racing and I love cars and I love motorcycles, so to hear a revved-up engine is music to my ears,” he said.

The campaign amounts to an impolite gesture to motorists, says Jim Billings of Collingswood, New Jersey.

“It’s a shopping district, there are restaurants. What are they going to do next — say people are too loud talking? It’s just stupid,” he said. “Why are you going to go picking on people that wind up coming to your businesses? You know, I see a lot of empty places. Picking on your livelihood is really what it is.”

Philadelphia resident Donna Katz owns a motorcycle and says she can see why people would be disturbed by the added noise from revving engines.

“There’s extremes to everything, maybe the revving could quiet down a little bit,” Katz said. “The noise factor does get a little loud, I’ve eaten in restaurants here and they drive by, but that’s just a part of New Hope.”

The town is historically known as a destination for tourists and riders alike, Cummings said, and noise complaints in the town are not a new problem.

The town has already installed four “Rev it Down” signs at entryways to the towns and has plans for signs and coasters with the logo, which will be available for business owners to display.