the watch of time

When one lives in an urban environment, there are compromises inherent in the proximity of others.

Part of what makes a good neighbourhood is showing some consideration for those around you with respect to aspects under one’s control. This is particularly relevant when dealing with those which cause noise or similar disruption to those living nearby.

Where we live a situation has arisen in the last couple of years which is to some extent seasonal, but a noticeable issue within the spring to autumn time frame.

One of the resident families in our cluster of town homes operates a construction business.  They have a large white panel truck, which when not in use is usually parked on the street facing our residences. Unfortunately they have an alarm system on board the truck subject to be triggered at the most inopportune, unexpected times.

Our collectively typical experience has been for the alarms to be set off, for no outwardly discernible reason.  Some of us have discussed this in offhand conversation, with no expertise pinpointing the cause.

The unhappiness of the periodic disruption, at times on a daily basis, has fallen on deaf ears insofar as the perpetrating family is concerned.  When confronted, they have laughed it off as a funny situation.     When I spoke with a board executive about it, who lives in a different section of the development, he essentially shrugged his shoulders, especially since the ‘scene of the crime’ is technically on municipal property.  Naturally, by the time some municipal authority could be brought in, there would be no exigent audible evidence.  Up to this point, we’ve had to endure the blanket cacophony for short bursts until someone from the offending troop deigns to click off the disruption.

Heretofore, at least the discomfort has been primarily daytime oriented (for whatever beneficial reason). However, last night we experienced the worst event ever.  Literally in the middle of the night, the alarms sprung, were stopped after a minute or so, and the process repeated for literally about a dozen times.  This does not include a couple of ‘warmups’ earlier in the evening.  While thankfully not the nearest family living to the epicentre, the radiant impact, especially being late at night, was easily enough to attack our sleep, and no doubt the more so for those closer.

No one wants to stop neighbours from earning a decent, respectable living. That said, it should be possible to do so without standing on a pedestal of selfish ignorance of one’s fellow citizens.