Report: Most Britons want noise cameras
Three out of every five people responding to a recent survey say they want more noise cameras to tackle loud cars and bikes.
The majority of British motorists are in favour of noise cameras and other methods to catch and fine owners of vehicles with loud exhausts.
That’s according to a report from the car magazine Auto Express, which polled some 1,138 people on the issues of noise and nuisance. This comes amid a number of recent efforts to quell the enthusiasm of motorcyclists and motorists, including numerous petitions centred around popular biker cafe Rykas, expanding noise restrictions in London, and Surrey Police stopping hundreds of bikers over the summer.
According to the report, some 63 percent of poll respondents supported noise-abatement actions such as stricter MOT rules on exhaust noise. Whereas an even higher number - 67 percent - supported the idea of tougher fines (currently police are able to issue £50 on-the-spot fines).
Slightly fewer, around 60 percent, support the idea of microphone-equipped noise cameras.
“Our research shows just how strongly the public feels about noisy cars,” said Auto Express Editor Paul Barker. “With more than half saying excessively loud vehicles are having a direct, negative impact on their daily lives.”
Currently, the exhaust noise limit for cars is 74 decibels, or 72 dB for new cars. That limit is set to drop to 68 dB for new cars next year.
In yet another sign that no one ever thinks about motorcycles, the UK rules for motorbikes are less clear. Although, Euro 5+ regulations - to which all new motorcycles are currently subject - set the limit at 77 dB.
Additionally, new rules brought in this year state that any aftermarket exhaust system fitted to a bike must not make any more noise than the standard OEM system it is replacing.
Meanwhile, the report points out, however, that these limits don’t have a great deal of relevance due to the fact that police presence has decreased considerably over the past decade.
An RAC analysis of government data recently showed that there are more than 1,000 fewer police on British roads now than there were in 2015.
Meanwhile, the Auto Express report found that more than half of UK adults have been disturbed by noisy vehicles at their home. Many of them said they are disrupted daily, and that the noise makes it difficult for them to enjoy spending time in their gardens.
Barker suggested that with the general uptake of electric cars seeing more and more of the vehicles on roads, the overall noise levels may drop in coming years. That may be a double-edge sword for car and motorbike enthusiasts, though. If the overall noise level drops, it will make loud vehicles stand out even more.
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Chris Cope is a fourth-generation journalist, originally from Texas. He has lived in the UK for roughly two decades and has been writing about motorcycles for most of that time. He has written for dozens of publications and websites in the UK, US, Canada, and Australia.
