New York, June 8 (Reuters): Now New York wants to be the city that sleeps.

In his latest effort at improving the quality of life for citizens of the city that never sleeps, Mayor Michael Bloomberg yesterday proposed the largest overhaul of the city’s noise code in three decades.

Barking dogs, humming air conditioners, booming car stereos, music spilling out of bars and clubs as well as heavy-duty construction noise will all result in fines if the City Council approves the new law.

Bloomberg said the new rules would allow New York to stay vibrant, “by balancing the need for construction, development and an exciting night life with New Yorkers’ well-deserved right to peace and quiet.”

But many New Yorkers have blamed the mayor’s ban on smoking in bars, put in place last year, for increasing noise by forcing smokers onto the streets to hold loud conversations.

Under the proposal, police and noise inspectors would use a “common sense” standard rather than being required to use noise meters to measure decibels. Any sound that increases the ambient noise in a neighbourhood by 10 decibels during the day and seven decibels at night will also be punished.

No date has yet been set for a vote.