(Paris) Radars equipped with sound level meters will be tested in the coming weeks in seven French communities, with in three months fines of 135 euros (195 Canadian dollars) for vehicles that are too noisy, said the Ministry of Ecological Transition in a report. communicated.
Three sound radars equipped with three different technologies will be put into operation on Tuesday or Wednesday, upon the publication of a decree in Official newspaper, on the road which crosses Saint-Forget (Yvelines) in the valley of Chevreuse, adored by motorcyclists, to the south-west of Paris. Another “jellyfish radar” equipped with a camera and microphones had already been tested there.
PHOTO FROM THE WEBSITE OF THE NGO BRUITPARIF
The jellyfish radar flashes motorcycles and other vehicles that are too noisy.
Six other communities will launch these sound radars in the coming weeks: Paris, the metropolises of Nice and Toulouse, Bron in the metropolis of Lyon, and the municipalities of Rueil-Malmaison (Hauts-de-Seine) and Villeneuve-le-Roi ( Val de Marne).
90 decibels, for starters
The sound radars will first be tested without ticket. The aim is in particular to determine the maximum sound level, initially set at 90 decibels.
Until now, only stationary checks have allowed the police to check the conformity of vehicles.
FRANCE-PRESSE AGENCY ARCHIVES PHOTO
Three radars equipped with three different technologies will be put into operation on various roads in France.
The sound radars should make it possible “to amplify the controls and improve their efficiency”, underlines the ministry.
After three months, a second phase of experimentation may lead to fines of 4e class, i.e. a fixed fine of 135 euros, reduced to 90 euros in the event of payment within 15 days.
“Noise has a very real cost for our fellow citizens”, underlined Barbara Pompili, Minister of Ecological Transition, quoted in the press release.
“Regulations already exist, but the generalization of controls is an essential lever for effectively combating this source of pollution, in particular on public roads”, she added.
FRANCE-PRESSE AGENCY ARCHIVES PHOTO
Three types of sound level meters will be tested in the coming weeks in France, with fines of 135 euros (195 Canadian dollars) for vehicles that are too noisy in three months.
Exposure to noise, mainly from transport, has a “social cost” of more than 147 billion euros per year in France, particularly in terms of indirect health consequences, according to a report published in July 2021 by the National Noise Council and de l’Ademe (Ecological Transition Agency).
According to the WHO, noise is the second environmental factor causing the most health damage in Europe, just behind air pollution, responsible for example for 40,000 premature deaths per year in France.
The sound radar system will “be intended to be generalized throughout the national territory”, according to the ministry, subject to the adoption of a lasting legislative mechanism.