Complaints about leaf blowers are overblown

I am disappointed at the outcome of the Sonoma City Council meeting where, in a straw vote, three members indicated they would likely vote to ban leaf blowers. I imagine their votes were predicated at least partly on the sometimes dubious assertions made by pro-ban audience members.

One woman stated she is a dog walker and is highly sensitive to the dust caused by the blowers.  Has it occurred to her that perhaps her occupation contributes to her allergies? Being outdoors in Sonoma during allergy season is notoriously difficult for allergy sufferers, not to mention being around pets.

A bicyclist claimed that he found it unbearable to ride down the street when leaf blowers were being used. It is not as though an entire block has leaf blowers operating simultaneously. By his description, it sounded like whole blocks were in a cloud of dust. This is ludicrous.

Leaf blowers can be annoying. But they are hardly the great menace to society as the speakers contended. Evidently, the City has received 16 complaints this year about leaf blowers — 16 out of thousands of residents. Were those complaints from different people? Are they full-time residents of Sonoma? And were the signers of the petition all registered voters within the City limits?

The proponents say the leaf blowers are noisy and blow too much dust into the air. I believe, as do many of my friends and neighbors, it is the proponents’ complaints that are loud and overblown. They are a vocal minority. Our hope is that there be no ban, and the restrictions on leaf blowers already in place will be enforced.

Barbara Wood, Sonoma