Publisher’s Notebook

• Malibu’s Wrong Wheel Woes •

ANNE SOBLE

An overstated blog assault on bicyclists has brought those for-and-against these two-wheeled modes of transportation to near blows, but I can’t help but think that’s such a waste of energy about vehicles that make little or no noise, don’t pollute and whose occasional red-light runner and maker of left turns from the far right lane at 90-degree angles give credence to Darwinian theory.

Ask most Malibuites, whether on Pacific Coast Highway or in the canyons, and the real culprits are motorcyclists, whose need for noise may be a means to assuage latent insecurities or repress rage.

Instead of screaming about bicyclists, locals should get behind State Senator Fran Pavley’s SB 435 and try to prevent the powerful motorcycle lobby from diluting this measure any more.

Pavley’s bill would make it an infraction, punishable by a fine of up to $100, to operate a motorcycle without a readily visible stamp that proves that the bike’s exhaust system complies with federal Environmental Protection Agency standards.

The noise issue with most motorcycles is modification—the use of aftermarket parts. Bikers are in hog heaven replacing standard issue equipment with straight pipes that can achieve a decibel level capable of creating eardrum pain for the listener.

Surprise, motorcycle enthusiasts and dealers don’t like SB 435. They contend there already are laws against excessive noise, but they neglect to note that the laws are rarely enforced. Besides, bike “mod” is big business, as long as noise is viewed as macho, is a form of communication, and may even have a subliminal sexual component.

A visible stamp would be a quick and easy way to know whether a motorcycle is violating the law. Subjectivity would no longer be a factor in what constitutes too much noise.

Since there is no requirement that motorcycles go through smog-check, also insisting that bikes comply with federal requirements would be an added benefit, however modest, in terms of air quality.

SB 435 has cleared the Senate and is slated to go to the Assembly Appropriations Committee (perhaps by Aug. 4). Expected to pass, it would go to the Assembly floor for a vote, where motorcycle groups, such as the American Brotherhood Aimed Toward Education, ABATE, hope to kill it.

Malibuites should let their state legislators and their biker governor know that they want this much needed bill to become law.