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I have a house close to the highway North of Parrita. With the Paving of the bumpy road, there is a lot more truck traffic and a lot more Jake Brake noise. Is there a noise law in Costa Rica? Does anyone have a suggestion as to how we can get the trucks to use mufflers on the Jake Brakes?
As a retired trucker I know about the use of engine brakes. As you probably know they are used to slow the rpm’s of the diesel engines and save on brakes. I don’t know if there are laws in CR pertaining to noise level. I do know that truckers love that sound. Why I don’t know. I didn’t. Best to stop by a checkpoint and ask the local law. From my visit there it seems to be normal, they used them in towns even while upshifting.
noise law? surely you jest. their safety will trump your discomfort any day. it’s one of the sad aspects of paradise — lots and lots of noise.
you guys are pretty good comedians, but not a lot of help I’m a little confused as to why engine brake mufflers would be a safety hazzard.
An older expat writes a blog. He addressed this issue recently. A local bar near his house suddenly became noisy with a new owner. He appealed to his landlord who apparently took the issue to court….and for a short time, the noise level slackened. But the noise eventually returned.
The expat believes this is due to the parties involved finding out that a gringo is the real complainer. He believes that Costa Rican officials tend to avoid making favorable applications of law for gringos.
Whether or not he is correct in his assessment, you must remember that you live in a culture which has very different ideas as to what constitutes bothersome noise. If there are neighbors who do not share your strong aversion to the traffic noise, you may be facing hard row to hoe.
James Gandolfini, the actor who played Tony Soprano, lists his least favorite sound as traffic noise. I share that dislike and when I purchased property in Costa Rica, I made sure it was several kilometers away from the PanAmerican Highway. I have noted the truck noise can be unbelievably loud along that route.
i can see it all now, trying to implement legislation so gringos aren’t bothered by truck noise. now THAT’S funny. you picked the wrong place to live if the noise bothers you. don’t mean to be harsh, but noise is a VERY BIG fact of life in costa rica. you either get used to it or you move. because this is a problem you will never solve by suggesting the use of mufflers. they will just laugh at you and throw your complaint in the basura.
Sadly, I’m afraid maravailla is right that no one is going to take noise issues seriously. The noisy bar problem could be rectified by making the bar quiet down. How or who would enforce a noise ordinance on trucks?
Living next to a bar or salon where fiestas and weddings are frequently held, you can complain to the municipality and may have it acted upon, but for traffic noise with vehicles that come into your area, this traffic is constantly changing, so it would have to be a country wide rules and even then the big trucks come in from elsewhere in Central America on there way to somewhere else.
Have you considered added a water feature outside to help reduce the noise?Slightly off topic of truck noise…..Last year we stayed in an ABSOLUTELY gorgeous new hotel
in the southern zone. The breakfast area/pool looked out over the ocean and scarlet macaws visited mid morning in the almendro trees below. The owners were fabulous and friendly US expats. In the late evening the bar below the hotel on the costenera had locals trying to sing American pop songs through the Karaoke amplifier. Now I’m no prude but where I’m from the Karaoke noise stays IN the bar where there are windows and walls.
All in good fun, it was a true travel memory![quote=”tandymonium”]I have a house close to the highway North of Parrita. With the Paving of the bumpy road, there is a lot more truck traffic and a lot more Jake Brake noise. Is there a noise law in Costa Rica? Does anyone have a suggestion as to how we can get the trucks to use mufflers on the Jake Brakes?[/quote]
How long have you lived here ?
There aren’t any laws in Costa Rica and if there were there is nobody to enforce them.
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