Rotterdam is starting a four-week trial to combat noisy cars and motorbikes using cameras that can measure decibels.
Roadside warning signs telling drivers they have exceeded the 83 decibel limit have not worked, prompting city traffic chief Pascal Lansink to mobilise “pioneering technology”.
Making “unnecessary noise” is currently an offence but it needs the presence of a police officer as proof. By taking the “sound photo”, the city council is “looking for the maximum legal space to show that cameras can deliver the missing bit of support to officials,” Lansink told the AD.
Two of the special cameras will be placed before the summer at Haagseveer and Strevelseweg, and then moved to Maasboulevaard and Laan op Zuid at a later date.
The results will have to show that the camera correctly combines the car registration number with the number of recorded decibels. “The data will still have to be checked by a local council official. We need to make sure the fines stand up in court in case of objections by motorists,” he said.
No fines will be issued during the trial period but if successful, the plan will be put before the public prosecution office for approval.
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