EDMONTON—
Edmonton drivers are used to staring at their eyes on the road, but they will soon worry about their ears too --
As part of a new pilot project aimed at reducing traffic noise, the city is selling tickets to drivers with loud cars.
After two previous studies
A one-week pilot was conducted last year, and the city resumed its second pilot to monitor traffic noise levels in the city this summer.
Although specific details are still being worked out, members of the Community and Public Service Council said on Wednesday that what the second pilot will do is not just monitoring, but for people with vehicles exceeding 85 decibels.
The average noise level of the mower is between 85 and 90 decibels.
According to the provincial traffic Safety Act, a fine of $115 for excessive vehicle noise is imposed.
According to the city's noise regulations, people can be fined up to $250.
It has not been determined which amount will be used.
Pilot projects in eight cities from August to last November found that more than 25,000 cars made more than 85 decibels of noise.
Some lawmakers hope that stricter enforcement of noise regulations may encourage changes in behaviour.
"I think at some point, if the word appears . . . . . . We're going to enforce the law around it, and I think you're going to see people behave differently, said MP Ben Henderson.
The new pilots will also use different equipment, including high
HD camera and recording.
The pilot will also remove LED displays that show how many decibels the driver generated after complaining that they actually caused people to make more noise.
Gerry Shimko, executive director of Traffic Safety, said the LED display at the sound level was made based on a display that showed the driver's speed of travel.
These displays are effective in forcing people to reduce speed.
However, the display that displays the sound level is the opposite. “(People)
"Actually, I want to see how much noise they can make, so it's not very successful," Shimko said . " Drivers are speeding up their engines to see a surge in numbers, he explained.
They are successful in this regard.
Shimko said the device recorded a noise level of up to 120 decibels, as loud as a rock concert.
According to the city, many of these high noise levels are caused by vehicles equipped with modified silencers.
Henderson said he was frustrated with the issue and he hoped law enforcement would be able to reduce the complaints he heard from core residents.
"So you can open the window in the summer and don't be woken up by an idiot at 2 in the morning who thinks it's funny to remove the pipe from the car and make a noise, he said. Henderson —
Who represents Ward 8-
He added that he had heard from a number of people who said they stopped going to the terrace on white Avenue because they claimed they could not hear each other because of the noise of the vehicle.
The municipal government warned against using only tickets issued by automatic machines, so members suggested adding peace officers to pilots and noted that they could be asked to testify if the case was brought to court.
"With the photo radar, you have to have someone there, too," Henderson said . " He noted that peace officials could speak to the actual voice of a car.
The city has determined that the most noisy areas of the city are Grott Road on 12 th Street, Victoria Park Road and Jasper Avenue.
According to Shimko, civil service and traffic safety will determine where peace officials will be present.
The administration will compile the data for this summer and then report to the Commission on October. 30.
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