Now here's an interesting expenditure of public relations monies:

¡Callaos todos!

Truly, Cali, I thought that was one of your bogus links. What will they think of next?

What??? Huh???

It sounds like this is geared towards the voting residents of Madrid who would like to sleep at night because they have to work the next morning (without the siesta). I'm sure they have more than students living in Madrid, no???

This is ridiculous! It will take them centuries to change this cultural pattern, it's like not letting Italians speak with their hands! Maybe the politicians need to get librarians to go around the city shushing everyone!

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!
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: :p Viva Noisy Madrid!

I cannot believe it, in the middle of the campagne against the noise of the Madrid council, the metro company is installing speakers beside the TV screens in the metro station with such a annoying sound, publicity, high volume, and so low fidelity ...
And about the parkingmeters, I'm also so annoyed, not so much because of it, but because everybody parks on double line or in the middle of the bus way without any respect, and the police and council don't do anything or cannot do anything, and now, they'll control this parkingmeters,I don't know if I'm so strange, but I have very different priorities for my town!!

Miguelito,

I would like to ask you, as a citizen of Madrid, do you think that the effort to reduce the noise in Madrid will eventually be achieved?

Madrid is famous, at least in the travel industry guidebooks, for its party atmosphere. Do you think that Madrileños, particularly the young teenagers, will be willing to change their lifestyle to meet this EU codicil?

No, I think they won't get anything. We have only half year left before the council elections and I think the council government just want some publicity to gain some votes, I don't think they had the real intention of trying to reduce the real noise (cars, motorbikes, works).
About the party night life I think the council doesn't realise how important is this for the tourism in Madrid, and has decided to support the right of resting for the neighbourghs without giving alternatives for the fun of young people. Now, botellon is forbiden and the time to close the pubs is almost as rigurous as in the UK (3:00 am in weekends for the pubs and 5:00 am for discos); of course, when the people goes out of the pub they're as noisy as ever because nobody try to educate young people (and not so young) to respect the rest of the neighbourghs. I think this is the real problem.