Soon, The ‘Silent Period’ Might be 10pm to 8am Instead of 10:30pm to 7am

Do you know those noisy Koel birds that chirp increasingly louder in the mornings? Those birds that make the uwu sound? 

Yeah, there’s finally a way to shush them up. 

Ok, no there isn’t, but there something else that can make our communities quieter.

Extending of Quiet time

After a six-month-long consultation exercise, on Saturday (19 November), the Community Advisory Panel for Neighbourhood Noise has issued its recommendations for tackling neighbourhood noise.

The main proposal?

Extending the silent period by one and a half hours.

After engaging almost 4,500 members of the public, they have proposed that the new silent period be from 10pm to 8am, extending it from the current 10:30pm to 7am.

With a designated agency in place to enforce the rules, we can finally be assured that neighbourhood noises are suppressed or even muted. Examples of such noises include loud chatter, loud playing of music, and the dragging of furniture around.

Finally.

The Panel

The panel was set up in April by the Municipal Services Office and the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth to establish what unacceptable noise levels are. 

It is chaired by Singapore Kindness Movement’s general secretary, Dr William Wan, and comprises nine representatives from the social, academia and people sectors. 

At the closing dialogue, Dr Wan said that “the proposals may not be an immediate solution to your problem, as the norms require time to take root and be adopted by the community.”

The panel has proposed the use of legislation in combating unacceptable community behaviour, so as to make the community more liveable and comfortable.

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Current Situation

Currently, there is no designated authority to handle the situation and neighbours are encouraged to resolve their disputes among themselves.

Only when the disagreement escalates is the issue brought up to other bodies such as the Housing Board, town councils, and grassroots leaders. 

The implementation of the panel will be constructive in alleviating this scenario. 

Government’s Response

Senior Minister of State for National Development Sim Ann said the government would be responding to the panel’s recommendations in the first half of 2023.

Highlighting the importance of striking a balance, she has recognised that this issue is not an easy one to solve. 

“Different people have different reactions and tolerance levels to sounds in the community. Yet, as a densely populated city, community noise is indeed a challenge that we have to deal with and manage, collectively, to achieve harmonious living,” said Ms Sim at the closing dialogue. 

Now, with the neighbourhood becoming quieter, we can finally enjoy the uninterrupted chirping of Koel birds in the morning.

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Featured Image: Tang Yan Song / Shutterstock.com