In that the primary function of the bells (at least where I live) is the telling of time, not religious broadcasting. There is no inherent message in the chiming of the clocks. In general, the bells chime every full hour during during daytime, and clock towers aren't necessarily exclusive to churches either.
There is certainly an argument to be made however that they should be removed due to being redundant, intrusive and outdated.
If I had a choice between both being allowed and both prohibited, the choice would be prohibiting both, always. It's a question of freedom from religion - we shouldn't have to live with religious propaganda being blasted into our homes.