One of New York City's traffic cameras equipped with sound meters are capable of identifying souped-up cars and motorbikes emitting an illegal amount of street noise. At least 71 drivers have gotten tickets so far for violating noise rules during a yearlong pilot program of the system.
After the relative quiet of the pandemic, New York City has come roaring back. Just listen: Jackhammers. Honking cars and trucks. Rumbling subway trains. Sirens. Shouting.
New York City already has one of the most extensive noise ordinances in the country, setting allowable levels for a host of noisemakers, such as jackhammers and vehicles. "You listen to the noise out there, it is nonstop -- the horns, the trucks, the sirens," New York City Mayor Eric Adams bemoaned during a recent press conference that blamed an expressway for noise and illness. "Noise pollution makes it hard to sleep and increases the risk of chronic disease."
The silence allowed people to hear birdsong again -- though it was often interrupted by wailing ambulance sirens and, at night, bursts of illegal fireworks. Complaints over noisy neighbours nearly doubled in the first year of the pandemic. Many other complaints were attributed to cars and motorcycles with modified mufflers.
Loud noise, hitting 120 decibels, can cause immediate harm to one's ears, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Even prolonged noise above 70 decibels can eventually damage hearing. A roaring motorcycle is about 95 decibels.
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