The county board of supervisors took a first step in quieting the county of the rumble of engine (jake) brakes Monday. Signs announcing “No unmuffled engine brakes allowed” will be posted on Highway 4 as it enters the county north and south, and on County Road P-29 near the intersection of Highway 4 in Dawson Township.
Enforcement will be under existing Iowa Code pertaining to noise, as the county has not passed an ordinance specific to engine brakes.
Shane Olson, who lives at P-29 and Highway 4, has met with the supervisors several times in recent weeks. According to Olson, as many as a dozen trucks per night use engine brakes when approaching the stop sign on P-29 just south of his home. He said traffic has increased greatly on the road since he purchased the home a few years ago. Most of the truck traffic is grain trucks hauling from Highway 20 to Highway 30. P-29 is the most direct route, he said.
Olson has requested an ordinance prohibiting unmuffled engine brakes, but the supervisors, particularly John Muir and Mick Burkett have been reluctant to take that move, saying it would impact too many farmers.
