The idea of noise cameras has been around for a while now and we have covered this story before, both in France and when it was mooted here in the UK in 2019.

A few global events have taken place since then which seem to have put it on a back burner but, like Michael Myers, it is far from dead (It was October after all).

On October the 18th a new-age listening and watching road camera was installed in Keighley in Bradford and others will be trialled in Bristol, Great Yarmouth and Birmingham. The idea is that the 'noise camera' will identify and track drivers who rev their engines or use modified exhausts and just sound too loud.

The new technology uses video cameras alongside a number of microphones, to identify excessively noisy vehicles as they pass the camera. The camera will both take a picture of the offending vehicle and record the noise level it is hitting, to compile a record of the offence and then the data will be passed to the police for a prosecution and a fine. The areas chosen to place the noise cameras were decided via a competition which took place in April and the technology used in the noise cameras was tested at a private test track. MPs across the UK applied for the cameras to be trialled in their areas and once the technology has been fully tested on site and proven to be successful, it will be rolled out across the country.

Noise Levels at Loomies? Quiet as a mouse

Noise cameras were previously tested in 2019 at Loomies Moto cafe in the Meon Valley to try to catch motorcyclists heading that way, but the number of motorcyclists caught being too loud was actually very low  - after 12 days the camera only recorded three noisy bikes during that time. The total number of cars exceeding the noise limit was 751! The other camera was placed near the Beaulieu Motor Museum, timed to co-incide with the New Forest VW Santa run and it only heard 115 noisy cars and just one motorcycle out of 51,941 passing vehicles.
The conclusion of this trial from the report was as follows:
"The noise camera trial found that while it may be possible to objectively identify driving styles from acoustic data, further research is required to identify objectively those that are ‘excessively noisy’. From an enforcement perspective, to enforce against excessively noisy driving styles, the noise camera would need to demonstrate that, beyond the balance of probabilities an offence has occurred. Obtaining data on driving styles is difficult as they are highly variable and may not withstand legal scrutiny if applied to an enforcement noise camera. It is considered that adverse driving styles are best enforced using current methods or by using the noise camera to detect an excessively noisy vehicle without further distinction.”

The practice director of Atkins Jacobs Joint Venture who are developing and testing the tech said:
"The real-world trials of the technology solution the Atkins Jacobs JV has developed and tested on the track is an important step for the scheme towards solving a problem that affects many communities across the UK.
We are fully expecting the trial in these four chosen locations to confirm what we have seen in testing, which is a highly targeted use of technology to ensure only those motorists making excessive noise will be subject to enforcement."

So, barring another global pandemic, it looks as though this listening tech will soon be popping up far and wide across the UK.
Any more thoughts on this? Are you in favour of a crackdown on noisy engines and disturbance of the peace or do you think it is just another example of how Big Brother is watching you? I nearly said 'thoughts on a postcard' then but remembered it's not 1972 so instead you could email us at: [email protected] or send us a message on Facebook