The days of bull kites flying at night are coming to an end, as Government moves to enact legislation to prohibit the practice between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Dale Marshall, made this announcement during the first of a series of post-Cabinet updates on important policies and decisions during a press conference at Ilaro Court today.
The restriction in flying kites with bulls, or other noise makers, he said, would be done through amendments to the Minor Offences Act, with the laying of legislation in Parliament on Tuesday, January 31, in an attempt to abate the “dreadful nuisance” that affects so many Barbadians.
Mr. Marshall explained that the Bill will allow persons to fly a kite for as long as they wanted to, as long as it did not have a bull as that was what created the nuisance at night.
However, if the kite carried a bull or any kind of noise-making apparatus, they must remove it from the sky at 7:00 p.m. and not fly it again until 6:00 a.m. the following day. Anyone who does not comply will find themselves “afoul of the law”.
Mr. Marshall said those contravening the law would receive a fixed penalty of $500 through a ticketing system. “If you pay the penalty, there would be no issue. If on the other hand, you insist on proceeding to court, then of course you may find yourself subjected to the full penalties of the law as determined by the magistrate who hears the matter, or if you don’t pay [the ticket],” he said.
Such persons may then be subjected to a fine of up to $5,000 or a term of imprisonment, on summary conviction.
Mr. Marshall explained that this move came following several letters of complaint from persons about the noise made by kites flying directly over their homes at night.
“While for many of us that may seem like a small thing, for the individual who has to suffer this particular indignity, it is grave and can also have a serious effect on their health,” he said.
However, he appealed to residents to be reasonable and take their kites down at night to avoid officers from the Barbados Police Service being deployed to enforce the legislation.