Sunday, July 03, 2022

Does the Coase Theorem tell us what to do about the noise from pickleball?

See Thwack. Pop. Whack. Pickleball Noises Turn Neighbors Into Activists. Angry residents return serve by videotaping players, hiring sound-control consultants, fighting at Town Hall by James Fanelli of The WSJ. Excerpts:

"Plastic perforated pickleballs make a sound like no other when whacked with the game’s solid, rectangular paddles."

"“No one can completely understand what it’s like to sit on your back deck hearing that pop, pop, pop,” said Rob Mastroianni, a Falmouth, Mass., resident whose bungalow is just a few hundred feet from five public courts that opened at a school in late 2020.

Mr. Mastroianni, 57 years old, is among a half-dozen residents on his street who filed a public-nuisance lawsuit this year against the town’s zoning board of appeals, contending the nearby pickleball play violates town bylaws that prohibit “injurious and obnoxious noise levels.”

Towns around the country are facing similar showdowns. Some are limiting hours of play or changing ordinances to address noise. Others, like Falmouth, are returning serve against legal claims."

"Philadelphia Parks & Recreation started a pilot program in March to limit court hours at Water Tower after nearby rowhouse residents brought noise complaints and threatened legal action. They said they support pickleball play but not near their homes.

Sarah Bettien-Ash, who lives in one of the rowhouses, said that before the pilot program, people would start playing at 7 a.m., waking her family up."

"A spokeswoman for Philadelphia Parks & Recreation said the department is working to expand the number of available courts to meet the demand for the sport and address the concerns of neighbors. Mr. [Braden] Keith, the man who runs a pickleball players’ group, said the residents haven’t been willing to compromise on a solution, such as the installation of sound barriers."

"Pickleball strokes create a high-pitched sound that human ears are sensitive to"

"There are paddles and balls that produce quieter sounds"

"persuading players to switch equipment can be difficult."

"In Falmouth, Mr. Mastroianni said he and his neighbors hired a sound-control consultant, who submitted a report to the zoning board of appeals showing the noise was above what state and local ordinances permit.

In denying their request to stop play, the board said pickleball provided an educational benefit and noted that the town had already limited the courts’ open hours and offered to build sound-attenuation blankets. The residents say the blankets won’t fully stop the noise."

This reminds me off THE COASE THEOREM.

It is an economic idea from the Nobel Prize winning economist Ronald Coase. It should not matter who has the property right in determining the most efficient outcome.

There does not need to be any special rules made by the a board or city council. Let the players and the residents negotiate. If it really matters to the residents, they will pay the players to not play or erect barriers to reduce the noise to an acceptable level.

If the residents placed a $200 value on having quiet and if paying the players $100 to not play or erect effective barriers, then this will happen if the parties are allowed to negotiate.

Or if the players placed a $300 value on playing, they could pay the residents $250 to not protest (that is more than they value the quiet).

Either way, we get a policy where the benefit outweighs the cost and that is efficient. 

One problem is that there are many parties involved and negotiation can be difficult in that case.

Related post:

Trees vs. Solar Power? (2008)

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