The ‘radars sonores’ will be able to measure the noise level of a passing vehicle.
Although the experiment is aimed mainly at the noise generated by motorbikes, the radars will be able to control all vehicles. Exceptions will be permitted for certain vehicles, such as vintage cars and agricultural vehicles.
Those areas where the experiment is being undertaken are in the department of Yvelines (in a rural location), in Paris, Nice (Alpes-Maritimes), Toulouse (Haute-Garonne), Villeneuve-le-Roi (Val-de-Marne), Bron (Rhône) and Rueil-Malmaison (Hauts-de-Seine).
The trials are scheduled to last 2 years, to allow testing of three different radars that have been installed. If successful, the government have stated they will roll it out across the country.
To date they have acknowledged that environmental conditions in some areas may make it difficult to establish verifiable readings, which the experiment will seek to determine.
The radars are all installed with several cameras and microphones, including a licence plate security camera. The cameras are also multi-directional.
Those areas where the experiment is taking place will have warning signs displayed, as shown below.
As occurs with new generation speed cameras, if the noise level is breached it will not flash, so the first occasion the owner of the vehicle will get to hear about it is when they receive the letter notifying them of the offence.
The radars have been installed on roads where the maximum speed limit is 50 km/h and will be triggered when the noise level exceeds 90 decibels. To put that into perspective, noise levels in a night-club cannot exceed 110 decibels.
The fine will be €135, reduced to €90 if payment is made within 90 days, although it is not anticipated that fines will be made until 2023 when the radars have been fully tested and approved.
There is existing legislation that limits the noise levels that can be emitted, but these can only be used when the vehicle is at a stop and a check can be carried out.
European regulations limit the noise level of motorbikes and other vehicles to a range between 74 to 80 decibels, depending on the type of vehicle.
The government estimates that the cost of noise nuisance in society in around €150billion a year, over half of which is attributable to traffic noise.
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