In light of the enormous effects of noise pollution on public life, The French government has launched a project to launch modern radars that monitor noise pollution resulting from vehicles traveling at excessive speed and violating their drivers. As part of an experiment that will take place in several communities in preparation for its dissemination to the rest of the French territory.

Tranquility in crowded cities is often a luxury that is difficult to obtain and modern lifestyles have been associated with noise or noise pollution. Especially in major cities, The size of the urban fabric imposes a tremendous amount of noise, Most of it is caused by human activities such as traffic.

In Paris, France, which tops the list of European cities with the most audio pollution, Surveys show that noise is a constant nuisance to most of the population. Those who see it as a local problem that negatively affects the quality of life before being a cause of health concerns. But this does not negate its serious health damage, Its effects, according to the World Health Organization, range from discomfort and tinnitus to sleep disturbances, ischemia of the heart and even cognitive impairment in children.

Bruitparif has explained that noise pollution reduces an individual's life expectancy by an estimated 11 months. This statistically means that 66,000 years of healthy life are being taken away from the inhabitants of the French capital. and another two million Western European citizens, within an annual rate sourced from the noise of the transport infrastructure, Not to mention its significant financial burdens on governments and societies, The French Ministry of Environmental Transformation estimates that French society wastes around €147 billion annually due to noise pollution.

For the purpose of controlling traffic, The government uses what are known as acoustic radars, However, it is of limited usefulness because its use is limited to the inspection of vehicles after stopping them in case of violation. To improve process efficiency, The government has launched a trial to use new, more efficient acoustic radars that can detect acoustic irregularities from moving vehicles.

Acoustic radar is not a radar in the technical sense, but an automatic fixed or mobile monitoring device, It consists of a 360-degree camera accompanied by 4 precisely distributed microphones to monitor sounds and track their degrees and directions, It can distinguish compounds that make loud sounds and measure decibels (noise measurement units) levels every tenth of a second, to pick up drivers driving vehicles whose engines have been manipulated to amplify their sound, Or who drive at excessive speed. Then The camera takes a picture of the license plate and then determines the appropriate violation.

The trial is planned to last for two years, And to be divided into two phases, and the first phase was launched at the beginning of this year, It will involve road tests under real conditions, and at a noise level of up to 90 dB, The first devices were deployed on a road frequented by cyclists west of Paris.

During this stage, violations will not be released, The experiment is primarily aimed at identifying and correcting system anomalies. therefore The authorities will only monitor drivers and inform them of the new procedures through a special campaign and traffic signs. With exceptions for some types of vehicles. At the end of this phase, The executive team will be able to identify the main causes of noise in the capital in preparation for the second phase, which will begin once speed cameras are installed, Violating drivers will face fines of up to €135.

The experiment will take place in 7 regions selected from among the administrative units that volunteered to participate. The authorities have taken into account the diversification of the environments and communities that will be included in the experiment, It included urban areas, namely "Paris", "Nice" and "Toulouse", and other semi-urban areas such as the municipalities of Brune, Villeneuve-le-Roy and Ruelle Malmaison, and a purely rural third, It is the commune of Hauts-Vallee du Chauffrouz. However, radars will not cover an entire area, It will even spread out in some specific locations on the map.

To reduce the number of cars and confront both noise and environmental pollution in the capital, The Paris authorities reduced the maximum permissible speed limit to 30 kilometers per hour, It has started implementing this decision in about 60% of its streets after excluding the main ring roads and highways.

Questions have arisen as to why riders choose a route for the first test. Some protested the concentration of the expanded experience on common motorcycle routes. Officials said this was not intentional. that the experiment is not aimed at any group, Rather, it seeks to crack down on vehicles that emit noise of any kind.

In the same vein, The restriction of speed limits has not escaped criticism, The Government responded by involving local communities in determining the directions of the experiment. It conducted a poll that showed that 59% of the capital's residents support the new decisions. Her move is in line with the World Health Organization's call for strict speed restrictions in cities.

Operationally, Some have questioned the device's ability to deal with complex circumstances such as identifying the violating vehicle while several of them are passing from one point at the same time. or isolating physical conditions affecting sound intensity such as proximity to solid reflective surfaces, They echo sounds on walls, tunnels or large trucks passing by. These and other questions suggest that the margin of error may be significant. And that the system may issue unfair violations against drivers.

The French government hopes that this step will facilitate the detection of behaviors that increase noise pollution. and that the restriction of speed limits will contribute to increasing traffic safety, and the expansion of the space for riders, Reduce noise and its health consequences and help address climate change.

The goal of the experiment remains to assess all these impacts and challenges to decide whether to legislate to spread innovation across the country.

References:

• https://www.themayor.eu/en/a/view/paris-and-other-french-cities-to-use-sound-radars-for-vehicles-9725
• https://www.rideapart.com/news/558710/france-noise-camera-tests-2022/
• https://www.bruitparif.fr/pages/En-tete/500%20Projets%20de%20recherche/230%20Articles%20scientifiques/2013%20-%20Health%20impact%20of%20noise%20in%20the%20Paris.pdf
• https://www.dw.com/en/paris-introduces-citywide-30-kmh-speed-limit/a-59025358