Leaf blower ban: “eleventh plague, inadvertently left out of the Haggadah,”

[The Straight Story]

Seasonal ban on gas-powered leaf blowers voted in Brookline

Gas-powered leaf blowers will be banned in Brookline during the summer and winter months after Town Meeting voted Wednesday night to restrict the “eleventh plague, inadvertently left out of the Haggadah,” as Town Meeting Member Harry Friedman phrased it.

The ban will not apply to the town's park and street maintenance, nor to those landowners who have more than five acres to tend.

“Leaf blowers are fine, during spring and fall, when there are leaves on the ground,” said Andrew Fischer, author of the legislation. But otherwise, he and other proponents claimed, the blowers were a “noise nuisance,” emitting greenhouse gases, blowing up tiny particles of dust, dirt, dog droppings and more when a rake or broom could do the job with less impact on residents and passers-by.

Opponents proposed a resolution instead, saying that town officials have already started to increase enforcement of the noise bylaw for leaf blowers, which bans machines that emit more than 67 decibels.

http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/brookline/2011/11/seasonal_ban_on_gas-powered_le.html

[HereSince1628]

1. That's the other part of the 99%... n/t

[Earth_First]

2. What about commercial useage?

It mentions use by the town's park and street maintenance, but how about landscape operations?

There are countless instances why the use of a commercial 'backpack blower' is warranted during summer months on properties less than 5 acres...

[catgirl]

3. Why would one need a leaf blower in the summer anyway?

Brooms work just fine.

[Sinistrous]

5. To clean grass clippings off of sidewalks.

Brooms take much, much longer to do that job.

[Xithras]

4. Heh, a town near me banned them years ago.

The commercial landscapers simply switched to electrics and mounted gas generators on their trucks. I suppose it's a little quieter, but not much.

[GodlessBiker]

6. Hypocrites! The ban should extend to town park and street maintenance, too.

Another case of: Do as we say, not as we do.