Noisy motorcycles break the silence in Paris after quiet of lockdown

Noise cameras continuing trial in Paris

Motorcycles that have had their silencer removed are being targeted with special ‘noise cameras’ after data showed that one motorbike can disturb up to 11,000 people.

A report on the BBC recently showed that one ‘noisy’ motorcycle can disturb more than 11,000 people. And to clamp down on the practice of de-silenced motorbikes, one suburb in Paris has been trialling noise cameras which will soon be able to issue noise infringement notices automatically.

The organisation behind the noise cameras, Noise Observatory has been trialling its technology to show the effects of noise on residents. It has been trialling its noise cameras since last year (the trial is expected to last one more year). 

So, how does it work? The device has four microphones that monitor decibel levels every tenth of a second and can triangulate where a sound originates. When linked to a camera, the device is able to display an acoustic wake as a trace of coloured dots moving behind the source of the noise.

However, with Parisians emerging from lockdown, noise is back on the agenda with a push to fast-track a law that would allow the noise cameras to come online and begin giving out tickets to noisy motorbikes and vehicles. A BBC report revealed how motorbike owners are removing the silencers from their exhaust pipes, and indeed how easily it is to do. You literally get a pair of pliers and yank the thing out.

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