According to a recent Daily News poll, most New Yorkers cite NOISE as the most annoying feature of urban life(1). Furthermore, when the NYC Police Department instituted its quality of life telephone hotline in August, 1996, 43% of complaints received related to noise(2).
The noise that annoys New Yorkers comes in many forms from many places. Shrieking subways(3), thudding pile drivers(4), roaring boilers(5), noisy neighbors(6), raucous restaurants(7). Community meetings throughout the City regularly address the failure or refusal of City agencies to effectively respond to noise complaints.
Excessive Noise is Unhealthy
Excessive noise is hazardous to our physical and mental health(8). The body reacts to unwelcome noise of any intensity indirectly as it does to other intrusive stressful stimuli: elevated blood pressure, excessive secretion of hormones, changes in the rhythm of the heart. There is a growing body of literature that suggests that these physiological responses may lead to actual bodily damage in adults and in children(9). In addition, the frustration of not being able to limit distracting noise compounds the body's physiological responses. In some cases, noise drives people to commit homicide or suicide
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