In Toulouse and other French cities, sound radars are arriving
They will hunt down vehicles that are too noisy. Sound radars will be tested in the coming weeks in seven French communities, with fines of 135 euros in three months, said the Ministry of Ecological Transition in a press release.
Three radars equipped with three different technologies will be put into operation on Tuesday or Wednesday, as soon as a decree is published in Official newspaper, on the road that crosses Saint-Forget (Yvelines) in the Chevreuse valley, adored by bikers, southwest of Paris. Another “jellyfish radar” equipped with a camera and microphones had already been tested there.
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Nice, Toulouse, Bron in the metropolis of Lyon …
Six other communities will launch these radars in the coming weeks: Paris, the metropolises of Nice and Toulouse, Bron in the metropolis of Lyon, and the municipalities of Rueil-Malmaison (Hauts-de-Seine) and Villeneuve-le-Roi (Val -de-Marne).
The radars will first be tested without finding an infringement. The aim is in particular to determine the maximum sound level, initially set at 90 decibels. Until now, the maximum sound level was specific to each vehicle, and listed on its vehicle registration document. Only controls at a standstill enabled the police to check its compliance.
The sound radars should allow “to amplify the controls and to improve their efficiency”, underlines the ministry.
The implementation of 4th class tickets
After three months, a second phase of experimentation may lead to 4th class fines, i.e. a fixed fine of 135 euros, reduced to 90 euros in the event of payment within 15 days.
“Noise has a very real cost for our fellow citizens”, underlined Barbara Pompili, Minister of Ecological Transition, quoted in the press release. “Regulations already exist but the generalization of controls is an essential lever for effectively combating this source of pollution, in particular on public roads,” she added.
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Noise has health consequences
Exposure to noise, mainly from transport, a “social cost” of more than 147 billion euros per year in France, particularly in terms of indirect health consequences, according to a report published in July 2021 by National Council for Noise and Ademe (Ecological Transition Agency).
According to the WHO, noise is the second environmental factor associated with the most health damage in Europe, just behind air pollution, responsible for example for 40,000 premature deaths per year in France. The sound radar system will “be intended to be generalized throughout the national territory”, according to the ministry, subject to the adoption of a lasting legislative system.