Paris to Use 'Noise Detector' to Curb Loud Vehicles

Paris residents have grown sick and tired of motorcycles and race cars revving their loud engines every time they pass by, so they decided to do something about it.

To help curb noisy vehicle owners, parts of the French city are now testing a 'noise radar' device that can detect loud vehicles, identify, and even ticket them.

The system, built by Bruitparif, a non-profit environmental organization that focuses on noise pollution, uses four microphones to triangulate the source of the sound. The system is then linked to a CCTV to identify the rowdy offender.

The community of Villeneuve-le-Roi is the latest Parisian suburb to employ the system, which according to local Mayor Didier Gonzales, is installed on a lamppost in the area.

The system is currently inactive, and is awaiting a new government resolution permitting the use of such systems.

The government resolution is expected to be voted on in the coming months.

Once active, the system will link the sound recordings to police CCTV cameras so that authorities can immediately issue tickets to offenders.

"Noise is the bane of modern life and a major health issue. It hurts people like secondary smoking does," explains Gonzales, who also heads Bruitparif.

If the tests are successful, who knows? We may even see a version of it applied on our chaotic streets, where it can certainly be of great use.