The October7 edition of the
New York Times International section had a great article following up on Cali's. Apparently the EU thinks that Madrid is too loud, Ave Maria!
A new European Union directive requires all large cities to cut noise levels by five decibels between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m., and by 10 decibels between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., but Madrid will be unable to comply. "To cut noise levels by five decibels, a third of the population would have to go indoors," said Placido Perera, director of Madrid's acoustic control unit. "The levels were set mainly by the Germans and Danes, who are all at home by 5 p.m. because it's so cold."
Imagine! Between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. is when most Madrileños are out having fun!
This is so ridiculous that it is funny! This is one for the annals of obsessive-cumpulsively driven countries!
Here are some of the responses in the article:
This effort has been greeted with bemusement or angry derision by many citizens, especially those tortured by the "botellón" — the teenage culture of gathering in squares and on sidewalks to party.
"They have the nerve to tell us how to quiet down when they don't even respect their own laws," fumed Carlos Delgado, who lives in a neighborhood known for its happening night life.
In November, parking meters will go into operation around central Madrid. But most people here say they are more likely to set off a rebellion — as a similar plan did some years ago —than to solve the noise problem. This is, after all, a city where residents consider it their constitutional right to double-park.
:p Viva Noisy Madrid!