Cut down the noise

Published: 13 August, 2010

• EILEEN Fry (The trouble with bicycles for hire! Letters, August 6) is certainly right to object to contractors engaging in noisy work during unsocial hours, installing the scheme.  

That noisy work is but one example of the more general problem whereby the council seems to ignore effects on residents of noise resulting from contractors working for the council and utility companies. 

The council rightly prohibits noisy building work during Sundays and at other unsocial hours. The council could easily also prohibit road and pavement works, unless emergencies. 

When this point is made, the reply tends to be in terms of how traffic flow ought not to be upset – poor traffic flow – but often, in practice, traffic flow is not impeded. Even when it is, the council should be keen to calm traffic. Why give traffic priority over residents’ peace? 

PETER CAVE, Meard Street, W1