Noise pollution in North Cyprus
One Comment on a Comment
By Ralph Kratzer
With interest I read in the last issue of the newspaper Cyprus Star, dated 28th June 2014, the report on a retired couple from England that settled in Alsancak and is now disturbed from sleep by loud disco noise.
I can sympathize with both, loud music all night long, and almost every day of the week can send someone out of his mind!
But the question is: who was first? The disco or the homeowners? Had the homeowners bought their house when the disco already existed, they had to reckon with noise and cannot complain in retrospect. Was it the other way round, and they have every right to complain.
But now to the comment of the author Yurgadül Beyoglu in Cyprus Star in this context, with the heading “We are sick of living here”:
She first responds to the complaint of the above couple, then comes to toxic fumes of AKSA and Teknecik Power, noise from megaphones during the last month’s election campaign period and finally to the evil in her eyes, motorcyclists …
I am quite with her, that some motorcyclists over here are unreasonably and unnecessarily speeding up their machines to generate noise or to simply make themselves important. That’s an issue to be prevented. But why condemn other bikers who just want to enjoy their hobby or passion?
If you want to ban the noise caused by motorcycles, then please ban also the so-called “Quads” (these four-wheeled funny machines) that make a hell of a noise, as well as the pimped up “sports cars”, whose owners are revving up their engines that they almost explode! Not to forget the huge number of Jet-Skis which are a “pain in the ass” when swimming in the sea or lying on the beach!
Then there are the countless JCB’s, excavators and Caterpillars, not to mention the thousands of trucks that cause enormous noise and dirt…
Where does it begin, where does it end?
Shall we condemn the kids who play all day and are loud? Dogs that bark all night? Neighbours who play loud music or who are loud anyway?
We live in a southern European country. Noise is part of life here. In Germany, unnecessary noise is prohibited, as almost everything is forbidden that makes fun! But on the other side, the country is criss-crossed by six-lane highways, the road network and the traffic density is amongst the world´s top ten. My house was daily passed by 20.000 to 25.000 cars and trucks. This was really noisy! And even in Germany not prohibited…
So, please be more tolerant! We can all be happy to live on this island!
If someone wants to live without noise, he must relocate to Antarctica. But even there, the penguin colonies often make a hell of a noise, I’ve heard!
No offence to the poor couple in Alsancak! I would just recommend them to install soundproof windows, which helped me in Germany at least before I finally decided to emigrate…
I find this an interesting article and wish to make several points.
First is the noise of motor cycles and cars modified to make more noise, there is no difference here or any other country that young people, primarily, like to make a lot of noise. We lived close to forestry commission land in England and often got the idiots trailing through the forest making an horrendous noise. However it was over in seconds and although we moaned at the time, that is life!!
As for the music, in many Mediterranean countries it is banned after midnight in rural villages particularly. Even here in North Cyprus it is illegal in some urban areas but nothing is done about it when complaints are made because of……….inappropriate actions by some in authority. Where we are in Karsiyaka we often have music Fri/Sat/Sun but usually stops at midnight unlike Escape Beach area. I am not sure if the homes in that area we built before or after the week end noise commenced However there are homes being built and sold now that are within throwing distance of the disco and no amount of sound proofing will help at 4 in the morning. Those peoples lives are going to be hell and the developer should be strung up, IMO
As for the reporter comparing noise pollution to Teknicek, I think this is a bit of a con, why did she not just pick upon the noise and make a major issue of it if the complaint was appropriate. Was she just being flippant and doing what too many here say “if you do not like it, leave”. The comments about election noise also make me think she is not being serious, it is life in every democratic, and undemocratic, counties.
Last thing, will somebody PLEASE shut those cicadas up, they are driving me crazy. LOL!!!!!
An extensive comment, David, thank you! We will work on the cicadas, but I’ll make no great hopes!