Our View: Leaf Blowers Are Hardly A Gas

Fall is here, which for many means time for football, pumpkins and New England’s breathtaking autumnal plumage.

 Less enthusiastically, it’s also leaf blower season.

 With the exception perhaps of the crack of a pickleball paddle, there are few things that can draw the ire of even the most mild mannered of Cape Codders than the sound of a leaf blower. More specifically, gas-powered blowers operate at a volume that can be particularly problematic. According to the National Institutes of Health, gas-powered blowers reach between 95 and 115 decibels at the source on average, far more than the World Health Organization's recommended daytime limit of 55 decibels.

 There sometimes can be an unreasonable expectation of peace and quiet on the Cape, but the noise generated by these gas blowers is often more than residents should be expected to endure. With that, the select board in Orleans deserves kudos for trying to put a stop to the unnecessary noise. The board last week discussed a proposed bylaw that would regulate hours of operation for commercial landscapers in town, while also instituting an all-out ban on the commercial use of gas-powered leaf blowers in the community. It’s important to note that residential operation would be exempt from the bylaw.

 There’s clearly a momentum for doing away with the noisy leaf blowers. The Chatham Board of Health is discussing a similar restriction, which Harwich has entertained but rejected limitations at recent town meetings. 

With quieter alternatives such as battery-powered electric blowers available — or, heaven forbid, rakes — it makes sense to prohibit gas blowers that have proven to create a nuisance in neighborhoods and communities. While much more work needs to be done on the bylaw to figure out how best to enforce it, residents should welcome local regulations designed to give them some relief from the noise that can come with fall clean up. 

Just don’t push it and try and ban snowblowers, OK?