New camera technology to be trialled by the government
aims to measure the sound levels of passing vehicles to
detect those that are breaking the law on noise limits,
and could use automated number plate recognition to
help enforce the law.
Research commissioned by the Department for Transport,
found that a noise camera system could help tackle
extremely noisy vehicles which breach legal noise
limits.
- Roadside vehicle noise measurement: study,
enforcement and technology
It could also help to catch those who rev car or
motorcycles engines beyond legal limits, making life a
misery for those who live close by.
Transport Secretary, said:
Noise pollution makes the lives of people in
communities across Britain an absolute misery and has
very serious health impacts.
This is why I am determined to crack down on the
nuisance drivers who blight our streets.
New technology will help us lead the way in making
our towns and cities quieter, and I look forward to
seeing how these exciting new cameras could work.
The trial is not intended to target law-abiding
drivers, but those who are flouting laws around noise.
All vehicles must legally meet strict noise limits
before they are allowed on the road. Once a vehicle is
in service, exhausts and silencers must by law be
maintained in good working order and not altered to
increase noise.
CEO of the
Motorcycle Industry Association, Tony Campbell, said:
With growing pressure on the environment, including
noise pollution, illegal exhausts fitted by some
riders attract unwanted attention to the motorcycle
community and do nothing to promote the many benefits
motorcycles can offer.
All manufacturers produce new motorcycles that follow
strict regulations regarding noise and emissions and
we welcome these trials as a potential way of
detecting excessive noise in our community.
Studies have found that exposure to noise can have
significant physical and mental health implications –
with heart attacks, high blood pressure, type 2
diabetes and stress all linked to long-term contact
with loud environments.
Currently, enforcement is mainly reactive and relies on
subjective judgement. The trials of the new technology
will determine whether the legal noise limit has been
breached by taking into account the class and speed of
the vehicle relative to the location of the noise
camera.
The government has commissioned a prototype noise
camera to be tested at several locations over the next
7 months. If the trials are successful, recommendations
will be made to further develop the system across
the UK.
