“Noise is the New Smoking”
“[I’ve lived in] Manhattan, San Francisco, San Diego, Miami, London, Athens, Boston, Tehran, and Beirut — all of which were WAY quieter than present-day Providence.” — Washington Park resident who knows what far bigger and more populous cities than PVD sound like (May 2026)
“I’m not sure how to report excessive motorcycle noise, … but the frequency [with which it occurs] is way too high compared to all other major cities I’ve lived in.” — Self-identified Asian resident of Fox Point who previously lived in Los Angeles and Chicago (May 2026)
“I’m surprised that a busy [and much bigger] city like Philadelphia, where I lived next to a train station, was less noisy than the cars in Providence. I moved recently to Providence and learned this is a ‘normal’ experience. It’s very disturbing to my dog to constantly be stressed by loud music and cars, and … Read more
“I sold my home and moved out of the city to a place where neighbors and homeowners respect each other. Noise was a huge factor: the car stereos, illegal concerts, … dirt bikes, loud motorcycles, [and] loud cars. Police do absolutely nothing [about noise] in Providence and it is well known as a place to … Read more
“I live near a busy intersection. When the light is red, I hear motor vehicles revving their engines — this includes motorcycles and motorbikes, and cars and trucks whose owners have illegally modified their exhaust systems to be louder. I have found the noise to be unbearable almost year-round except for the winter. This summer … Read more
“I’ve lived in NY City, DC, and Boston and I can honestly say PVD is the noisiest!! Almost every night, there are fireworks being set off, cars racing up and down Parade Street, music blaring from neighbors’ [houses], you name it. It’s ridiculous! As I write this, there are fireworks going off every minute. Where … Read more
“Since the weather has gotten warm, we have near constant traffic of loud motorcycles, cars, and ATVs coming up Brook Street. These vehicles make excessive noise, both through engine revving and blaring music. They also often drive unsafely, posing a potential danger to residents in the area … These vehicles pass our house about every … Read more
“We moved to Providence a year ago after decades in NYC and London, where we have never experienced noise levels like the ones we’re subjected to here. Our terrace is unusable and our windows must be closed because of the constant din of speeding motorcycles, unmufflered cars, booming radios, and large trucks speeding off of … Read more
“These attention-seeking immature high school drop-out losers shake my apartment with their music and scare the hell out of my pets with their mufflers. I moved here one year ago and the quality of [life] in this city is concerning. … I sit at the park and all I hear are obnoxious cars while I … Read more
“Between the four incessantly barking dogs on my block, the subwoofers from the many cars that drive around my area and idle on my street with their subwoofer on blast as they lay on the horn for whoever they are waiting for, as well as my neighbor who has get togethers on the sidewalk directly … Read more