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New York is using cameras with microphones to ticket loud cars

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Re: New York is using cameras with microphones to ticket loud cars

#431

Post by noahtallen »

globular-toast wrote: post #27
shmageggy wrote: post #16

Great news, and I hope this catches on elsewhere. Our acoustic environment is a commons, and a particularly fragile one at that. Quiet surroundings are a boon to health and happiness, a fact that is not only immediately obvious to anyone with ears and a nervous system but also proven by scientific studies. However it can be destroyed so easily by one a-hole to the detriment of all. It's about time we start protecting…

Apparently it's happening in Paris too: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/15/noise-radar-in...

Cities in the Netherlands have been making great progress as well: https://youtu.be/CTV-wwszGw8

Re: New York is using cameras with microphones to ticket loud cars

#432

Post by anitil »

throwaway0a5e wrote: post #235
anitil wrote: post #178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is something I noticed when I was in the US - It seemed that emergency vehicles leave their sirens on the whole time. Here in Aus they'll leave them off and only turn them on when coming up to an intersection that they don't have traditional right of way on, then back off again (lights on the whole time). Am I wrong about this? I was only in a couple of cities but it was stark how I could always hear sirens

Where I live it's just like you described in AUS. Policies on this stuff varies city by city.

Ah ok, I didn't realise. I've mostly been within ~5km of Sydney CBD.

Re: New York is using cameras with microphones to ticket loud cars

#433

Post by ambrozk »

margalabargala wrote: post #68
drsnow wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

how are they unconstitutional?

To be clear, their constitutionality status is a matter of opinion. In my opinion, they should be deemed unconstitutional via a violation of rights against search and seizure, and rights for a proper trial. It's impossible to face your accuser in court, it's impossible to actually check the software used to identify whether you were speeding, and asymmetrically automating enforcement of something where it's in the en…

You can face your accuser in court. The camera isn't accusing you. The city is. It's using the camera as evidence.

Re: New York is using cameras with microphones to ticket loud cars

#434

Post by Reason077 »

mchusma wrote: post #358
StockHuman wrote: post #316

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I live on a little sidestreet next to a highway. The highway is raised (due to being on a steep hill directly behind our place) and has noise barriers installed. By and large, highway traffic is a low, background static, somewhat like the ebb and flow of a more mechanical wind. But, because our sidestreet skips a single traffic light on a parallel street, mororbikes live roaring through it, easily louder that anythin…

I was looking to see if 80db made sense or not as a limit. Looking at these sources: https://alexonautos.com/cabin-noise/ https://hearinglosshelp.com/blog/exactly-how-quiet-are-cars-... It looks as though 80db would be significantly above the max for a stock car. Although I would probably like to see a tax on any cars sold with over 75db of sound as it's a significant burden on society.

European type certification rules set a noise limit of 72 dB(A) for new passenger cars. This will reduce to 68 dB(A) by 2026. [1]

It’s also illegal to modify a car exhaust system in such a way that makes it louder than stock, however in practice it seems there is very limited enforcement of this.

Motorcycles are allowed to emit far higher noise levels than cars, unfortunately!

[1] https://www.vehicle-certification-agency.gov.uk/fuel-consump...

Re: New York is using cameras with microphones to ticket loud cars

#435

Post by Reason077 »

cudgy wrote: post #424
rascul wrote: post #404

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I generally do not hear loud vehicles directly next to me while driving down the road. Not cars or motorcycles. My own radio, tire noise, and engine noise is enough to drown out all but the absolute loudest, except maybe when I'm going very slow.

How about the pedestrians and people eating outside at restaurants? Or people in old houses with poor insulation and single paned windows? However, I don’t like the idea of automatically ticketing people with technology devices alone despite the obnoxiously loud noise pollution from these vehicles. Police can easily hear these vehicles and pull them over for a violation.

> ”Police can easily hear these vehicles and pull them over for a violation.”

In practice this doesn’t happen, however, at least here in the UK.

Police are not issued with equipment to measure noise levels, and on a busy road it can be difficult to identify (provably and conclusively) which vehicles are making the noise.

Which is exactly why technology like these “noise cameras” are needed!

Re: New York is using cameras with microphones to ticket loud cars

#436

Post by Johnythree »

pedalpete wrote: post #123

About 7 years ago I was toying with making an open-source raspberry pi with a decibel meter you could stick to your window and it would listen for loud noises and tweet the police department to say that a loud noise (likely motorcycle groups that ride up and down my street) had been located at X location. I had a few friends who said they would also put them in their windows, so we could have a few devices coordinate…

So much wrong with this...

80db is a measure of relative sound level, not the absolute level.

And vehicle noise levels must be measured at a specific distance to be useful.

Re: New York is using cameras with microphones to ticket loud cars

#437

Post by jmpman »

rabuse wrote: post #263
JKCalhoun wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Curiously, Harley sounds don't raise my hackles the way a loud sport-bike does. What are they, Ducati's or something? There is just something just so shrill about their sound.

Most likely the Japanese bikes. A lot of Ducati's run in a parallel twin cylinder format, which doesn't rev as high as the inline 4's.

It was a Kawasaki.

Re: New York is using cameras with microphones to ticket loud cars

#438

Post by jmpman »

megablast wrote: post #197
jmpman wrote: post #2

Good. I look forward to this enforcement in my city. I currently live against a major road. During the night, the traffic noise isn’t disturbing, except for about one vehicle in a thousand. And that motorcycle wakes me at 3am. For weeks on end. My neighbor’s kid’s motorcycle. On his way to work at 3am, has to gun it when turning out of the neighborhood, waking everyone. These are neighbors who had shot their next doo…

Do you drive?? I find it hypocritical for someone to drive and complain about noise from a major road. And it's why people choose not to live near major roads.

House was a short sale back in 2011. Beautiful house, for an absolute steal. Only real downside is the road, which my bedroom is about 100ft from. Although I describe it as a major road, during rush hour there are a few thousand cars an hour. After 10pm, it’s down to a couple dozen an hour. While sitting here for the past 15min paying attention to the road noise, I can barely hear the tire noise of a 4x4, the way off acceleration of a sports car and the barely audible road noise from regular passengers vehicles. Nothing at all like this motorcycle. Kawasaki sports bike, so a high pitched whine, not the low rumble of a Harley.

Re: New York is using cameras with microphones to ticket loud cars

#439

Post by renewiltord »

mikestew wrote: post #288
rabuse wrote: post #236

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To be fair, riding a quiet motorcycle is likely to get you sideswiped more if the people can't hear you at all. I've noticed the difference of head movements when changing the exhaust on my new motorcycle, from stock to a louder aftermarket. Prior, people would just veer into my lane without even checking. Anecdotal, but very noticeable difference for myself.

If "loud pipes save(d) lives", your insurance company would give you a discount for your man-child exhaust. And if you want anecdata, I've ridden hundreds of thousands of miles in every U. S. state, most of Canada, and elsewhere. Most of those miles have been with the exhaust that came with the bike when it rolled out of the factory. I've never been sideswiped, nor even once considered that a loud exhaust would do an…

I haven’t even heard of my insurance giving me a discount for wearing a full face helmet instead of a bucket helmet.

Actually, is there a single thing that insurance gives you a discount for?

Like, I’m with GEICO and as far as I can tell, it’s only age of license without accident or ticket that counts.

Either every factor is a wash or insurance companies are keeping the spread as profit on their side or they have no means of enforcing.

Like, do you install a Termignoni and then call your insurance agent? “Hi, I got louder exhaust pipes installed. Also, I’ve decided to wear a nicer helmet. Also, I now keep my bike inside a garage. Just wanted to call about the discount”

Re: New York is using cameras with microphones to ticket loud cars

#440

Post by renewiltord »

rascul wrote: post #404
rabuse wrote: post #236

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To be fair, riding a quiet motorcycle is likely to get you sideswiped more if the people can't hear you at all. I've noticed the difference of head movements when changing the exhaust on my new motorcycle, from stock to a louder aftermarket. Prior, people would just veer into my lane without even checking. Anecdotal, but very noticeable difference for myself.

I generally do not hear loud vehicles directly next to me while driving down the road. Not cars or motorcycles. My own radio, tire noise, and engine noise is enough to drown out all but the absolute loudest, except maybe when I'm going very slow.

Wow that’s a loud car. What’s the decibel level inside at highway speed? My Forester is loud to sit in on the freeway but what you’re describing is crazy loud. Can’t even imagine it.
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