Readers respond to an editorial on the health impact of noise pollution
Your editorial is right that noise pollution deserves to be treated as a public-health issue rather than a mere irritation (The Guardian view on noise pollution: keep it down, 28 July). Yet one obvious source of urban noise receives little attention: modified cars and motorbikes whose exhausts and engines have been made far louder than manufacturers intended.
Anyone living in a city or town knows the difference between the background hum of traffic and the explosive revving, popping and roaring produced by a small minority of drivers and riders. These vehicles can wake entire terraces, disrupt outdoor spaces and make life less pleasant for everyone else.