France tests ‘sound pole’ that throws noisy vehicles on receipt

With the ‘sound pole’, the French government has developed a new weapon in the fight against noisy motorcycles and cars. The system, which will soon be tested in and around Paris, can identify noisy vehicles and then automatically fine the owners.

The test project comprises five installations. These are not completely new poles, but measuring equipment that is mounted on existing lampposts. Two systems are installed in Paris itself, the other three are located in the suburbs of the French capital. The intention is that the sound recordings will be linked to the existing police surveillance cameras, so that offenders will automatically receive a ticket.

France already has a law that determines how much noise a vehicle can make, but in practice offenders are only fined if they are caught by the police during a check. In the future, this should also be possible without the intervention of the police. “Before the system can be activated, there is still a legislative change to take place. This will be voted on in the fall,” Didier Gonzalez told Reuters. Gonzalez heads Bruitparif, an environmental organization that is responsible for monitoring ambient noise in the Paris metropolitan area, as well as providing the necessary measuring equipment. He is also the mayor of Villeneuve-le-Roi, one of the Parisian suburbs where the test will take place.

Bruitparif’s new measuring device houses four microphones that together register the decibel level and which can also map where the noise comes from via trilateration. By combining this data with the usual image information from a speed camera or security camera, a photo is created in which both the ‘sound trail’ and the offender are visible. “For example, there is no discussion afterwards about who is responsible for the noise pollution,” says Gonzalez. A period of two years has been set aside for the test of the sound poles.

Images: Bruitparif