NYC Cameras Record Car Noise Levels, Tickets Can Ensue
You've all witnessed this scene at one time or another. You're standing on the sidewalk of a city street, and a vehicle passes you making a deafening, even aggressive noise. Clearly, it has been modified and is not conforming to noise-pollution by-laws.
This type of aural aggression can be very stressful, especially for people who live near busy roads. Background noise is something these folks know about and can live with, but these outbursts are something else.
New York City is looking for a solution to the noise pollution problem, and it may have one, according to a report in Road and Track magazine today. Motorists in the Big Apple could possibly receive a notice in the mail if they happen to roar through one of the intersections that now contain a special camera that records the sound vehicles are producing.
An image of such a notice, signed New York City's Department of Environmental Protection was posted recently on Facebook. It states that a BMW M3 has been fingered for exceeding noise limits. The notice reads:
“I am writing to you because your vehicle has been identified as having a muffler that is not in compliance with Section 386 of the Vehicle and Traffic Law, which prohibits excessive noise from motor vehicles. Your vehicle was recorded by a camera that takes a pictures of the vehicle and the license plate. In addition, a sound meter records the decibel level as the vehicle approaches and passes the camera.”
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