Modded exhaust noise detectors camera fines are coming.

[fadetoblack]

BBC News - 'Acoustic cameras' trialled in bid to cut noisy vehicles

Motorists with vehicles breaching legal noise limits could face fines if new "acoustic camera" technology is developed, the government has said.

The Department for Transport will test noise-detecting cameras in various locations over the next seven months.

The move comes after pressure from campaigners in rural communities who say some motorists illegally modify vehicles to amplify the sound.

Much like the way a speed camera works, if a microphone in an acoustic camera detects a vehicle breaching legal noise limits, it triggers a camera to take pictures of the vehicle registration number and any other relevant images to allow a fine to be sent out to the vehicle owner, the government said.

The noise level deemed to be inappropriate is yet to be decided.

 

[Rroff]

Hope it is well implemented - especially a recording kept or far too easy for false positives. TBH anyone illegally modifying their vehicles will probably illegally work around being caught while the law abiding will probably suffer the inevitable poor implementation.

 

[paradigm]

I just hope a suitably high dB is chosen for this. Plenty of standard cars that are loud, people should hardly be punished for driving around in something exotic.

The whole exercise seems pointless though as volume isn’t necessarily the problem. Obnoxious aftermarket exhusts for 1l shopping trolleys always sound worse than say a factory sports exhaust on a performance car, yet its likely that the output volume will be similar. The high pitched buzzyness of a sports bike carries for huge distance (we can hear idiots that are clearly speeding on the bypass a mile or so away).

 

[Calm]

Pointless! Just like speed cameras people will learn where they are, ease off briefly then continue as normal.

 

[Diagro]

Noise is subjective.

Volume is not.

 

[paradigm]

Noise is subjective.

Volume is not.

Whilst true, given that the source is moving, depending on the wavelength it is a nuisance for a longer or shorter time. Just having an arbitrary volume limit applied is not likely to solve the “problem” that the NIMBYs are complaining about.

 

[bainbridge]

If they're fixed then maybe going through with low throttle would not trigger the camera.

I'm all for clamping down on insanely loud exhausts but feel that police with equipment would be more effective and resources should be available to do it that way.

 

[Nasher]

Its the small engines with fart cans which are annoying and seem to penetrate walls. Not larger engines with a deep rumble.

But I cant see how this would work reliably tbh. You could coast through it to avoid it and it would also be set off by other noises, especially in urban areas. Why do people think every road problem can be solved with cameras.

 

[Cleisthenes]

How's an Aventador going to cope with these if they go past on full chat?

 

[Tek81]

What's stopping some moron from standing close to one of these detectors and blasting an air horn (for example) every time a car goes past, in order to set it off and lumber the driver with a fine?

 

[Nasher]

How's an Aventador going to cope with these if they go past on full chat?

Or even things like Caterhams/kit cars which are usually quite noisy. But totally legal.

 

[peterwalkley]

BBC news article is here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-48564995

Chris Grayling is involved, so there's a few hundred million about to be wasted to no effect

The article implies motorbikes are more of an issue than cars.

 

[Ryan-3]

Its the small engines with fart cans which are annoying and seem to penetrate walls. Not larger engines with a deep rumble.

That's all I generally hear around here. Awfully loud farts from a Vauxhall or Ford, or more recently, Abarth Fiats.

 

[Mobius 1]

So when these people get a letter in the post is it just going to be a fine ? Or something along the lines of you need to get your car/bike silenced then bring it down the station to prove it’s been done ?

Edit. I say this because it’s what can happen here if you get pulled by a police car for excessive noise.

 

[GeX]

or more recently, Abarth Fiats.

The 595 is quite loud as stock though

 

[Abraxaz1]

Good too many bikers around with too loud exhausts, last time I photographed a track day the number of bikers being turned away due to noise restrictions was insane.

One of the main reason I cant wait for the uptake of electric, no need to listen to weekend heroes flying through the village at stupid speeds.

 

[Mobius 1]

The 595 is quite loud as stock though

It does say modded exhausts.. so one would hope the stock exhausts in most noisy cars will be okay regardless of whether they trip this sound sensor or not.

I just don’t see how this will work :/

 

[grudas]

I can't see how this will ever work lol.

 

[Nasher]

It does say modded exhausts.. so one would hope the stock exhausts in most noisy cars will be okay regardless of whether they trip this sound sensor or not.

I just don’t see how this will work :/

Thing is some of the stock ones are very close to the line already and exhausts tend to get slightly louder as they age.

Unless they are talking about people removing resonators entirely, which means the limits will be set very high. You aren't even allowed very loud cars on tracks now.

 

[Ryan-3]

The 595 is quite loud as stock though

A friend of mine had one with the optional exhaust, which was incredibly loud and sounded plain awful. A number of Italian cars now seem to skirt close to the mark for what is allowed, especially at the high end.