What does the leaf blower have to do with the classic car?
04/02/2023
Well, of course the leaf blower has nothing directly to do with an old automobile. However, there are parallels, such as the fact that a leaf blower can also be used to power a vehicle (hovercraft with leaf blower drive). Like the automobile, the leaf blower has been around for quite a long time; the "Kyoritsu Noki Company" is said to have invented it in 1947. A few decades passed before it was widely used, and the leaf blower really took off in California in the 1980s and 1990s, if Wikipedia is to be believed. Naturally, the trend spread to Europe and for some time now, the "gardening aid" has been enjoying increasing popularity in this country too. However, criticism soon arose, as the devices produce audible noise and other unwanted emissions. They also stir up a lot of dust, obviously in the truest sense of the word.
As a result, leaf blowers are now to be banned in the city of Zurich between January and September. Only from October to December should their use still be permitted, according to a motion submitted to the city council, which instructs the government to initiate a corresponding amendment to the police regulations.
Naturally, this process led to some discussion in the media, and one reader's comment in the Tages-Anzeiger article particularly caught my eye:
" Haven't heard a leaf blower causing a disturbance for a long time. They've all gone electric. If anything, then a ban on petrol-powered blowers all year round. And also for the new cars and motorcycles, which sound as if the exhaust is defective."
And that brings us back to the automobile. Even if you are not a user or fan of leaf blowers, the tendency is to think that what was considered sensible and normal yesterday can be banned very quickly. After all, the owners of these leaf blowers bought the devices to use them and there are obviously many uses for them, so it doesn't necessarily have to be leaves or autumn months.
If the noisy population, which is increasingly sensitive to all kinds of emissions, is so quickly persuaded to impose bans, won't our old cars (and motorcycles) soon be next on the list?
The ever-increasing density of bans and regulations is obviously also leading to increasing intolerance among people and threatening reactions along the lines of: if I'm not allowed to use my leaf blower, why should the guy on the old Vespa be allowed to drive around?
