But you can also hear the difference in smaller things. Few of the changes are positive, admits Truax, who hears plenty about sonic horrors as a member of the Urban Noise Task Force. The new noises produced by leaf blowers, car alarms, Indy races and overpowered car stereos are on almost everybody's hate list. But Truax says soundscape studies have always taken a dual approach, both recognizing the danger of noises and promoting positive aspects of the urban acoustic ecology, teaching people to value their aural experiences. You can't isolate the subjective from the objective.
Public reaction can be surprising.
The task force has received complaints about the chimes of ice cream trucks, a sound supposedly beloved by children of all ages. Other people are unhappy when they can't hear a particular sound. When the air horn that played the opening notes of O Canada at noon was moved to Canada Place from the top of the Old B.C. Hydro building, some complained that a familiar and comforting refrain had disappeared from their lives. You can send us email .