Proposal: Ban Lawn Mowing on Sundays

A resident in Torsby wants to introduce a ban on lawn mowing on Sundays. The background is recurring disturbances from lawn mowers, something that according to the proposer has become increasingly difficult to accept.

It is Catherine Grollemund, 67, who has submitted a citizen’s proposal to the Torsby municipality after finding the noise increasingly burdensome. According to her, a Sunday morning a few weeks ago was the last straw, when a neighbor started mowing the grass while she was sitting outside in her garden.

“It started 20 years ago, but I did nothing until now. I felt: ‘Stop! I can’t take it anymore’,” the woman told SR.

The idea is partly inspired by France, where she says a suburb where her friends live already has rules prohibiting lawn mowing on Sundays. She therefore believes that a similar arrangement could work in Torsby as well.

According to Grollemund, the proposal is about creating a calmer Sunday and showing greater consideration for the neighborhood. She emphasizes that it is mainly noisy, older lawn mowers in densely populated areas that she wants to address.

The proposal has also sparked debate. Critics argue that many people who work during the week need to be able to tend their gardens on the weekends and that a ban would therefore be hard to comply with. Grollemund, however, believes that property owners should plan their lawn mowing for another day.

She does not expect the municipality to actually introduce a ban. According to her, it is more likely that the municipality will recommend neighbors to come to an agreement among themselves rather than introducing binding rules.

The proposal also meets opposition from the political side. The Moderate Party’s opposition council in Torsby, Daniel Eriksson, told P4 Värmland that he does not believe the municipality will move forward with the idea. He emphasizes that residents must be able to tend to their gardens when they have the time.