City officials are looking to crack down on excessive vehicle noise and unsafe driving, particularly along west Austin’s RM 2222 corridor where reports of complaints and safety issues have been surging for years.
“Our neighborhood has effectively been turned into an informal practice track, something no homeowner wants or expects,” Northwest Hills resident Lisa Capps told City Council Feb. 2.
The setup
Mounting cases of loud and reckless vehicles reported along RM 2222 have prompted resident advocacy and targeted responses by the Austin Police Department. Chief Lisa Davis said vehicle noise, mainly from motorcycles concentrated in APD’s Baker Sector on the west side, is a top concern she’s heard about going back to her 2024 hiring. An initial department response led to some results, but Davis said ongoing focus is needed for a more lasting impact.
“Enforcement efforts did result in the issuance of warnings and citations for speeding, but the current language in City Code 12-1 as written is not sufficient for specifically enforcing the noise concerns in a meaningful way,” she wrote in a January memo.
APD has already set up partnerships with Travis County law enforcement agencies and the Texas Department of Public Safety to tackle the local concerns. The department has also hosted regular stakeholder meetings, deployed resources, such as helicopters and unmanned patrol vehicles, and is now working with the Texas Department of Transportation to install rumble strips along RM 2222. From January 2025 through September 2025, APD officers spent more than 170 hours of overtime working the corridor, although nuisance problems persist.
“When I go out there, especially at nighttime, I can hear how noisy it is. It is pretty bad, so I do sympathize with our community for the noise that they have to endure every single day,” APD Cmdr. Craig Smith said.
What’s happening
Council members are poised to pass a new city ordinance this spring addressing what officials deem to be unreasonable engine noise, caused either by intentional actions or faulty equipment.
“A person may not make, or cause to be made, any loud or disturbing noise or vibration that is offensive to a person of ordinary sensibilities from the discharge into the open air of the exhaust from any motor vehicle, except through a muffler or other device that will effectively and efficiently prevent loud or disturbing noise or vibration,” the draft ordinance states.
The policy would target vehicle noise above 85 decibels, and would apply only after potential offenders receive an initial warning from law enforcement officials. Violations would be Class C misdemeanors like speeding or vehicle registration infractions.
The policy is one piece of a wider approach to help constituents who’ve been “suffering under the status quo” for years, said council member Marc Duchen, who represents District 10, including much of the west side. He also noted the safety and nuisance problems are challenging for police to address given that 911 calls for loud vehicles are lower-priority, and therefore often have longer APD response times.
“That’s not to say this is a victimless crime just because it’s a nonviolent crime,” he said. “I think we’ve heard about how this has been a struggle for many people on a daily basis. This is reckless driving, it’s noise, it’s racing—which to my understanding is a felony. And these are all things we can’t enforce well right now. And my hope is that this tool and the other things we’re working to implement can get us there.”
What’s next
While the RM 2222 corridor remains in focus, Smith said APD is aware of similar issues on stretches of roadway downtown, around the Y at Oak Hill and along Loop 360. Davis also said the police department is moving to relaunch its motors unit to boost traffic enforcement with a dedicated team of officers later this year.
While supportive of the update, council member Mike Siegel also said the city should ensure a finalized ordinance doesn’t result in “unnecessary criminalization” of innocent motorists who aren’t aware of the new rules.
Council members could vote to adopt the new engine noise provisions in late March.