Excess vehicle noise has well-documented harms to public health.
Port Moody will consider whether to install devices to monitor vehicle noise along its major transit routes.
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A motion directing staff to consider a pilot program got unanimous approval from council.
A council’s resolution to the Union of B. .Municipalities in September advocating a provincial program to help strengthen noise regulations was endorsed by that group.
But Coun. Samantha Agtarap said the province can be slow to act on UBCM resolutions, sometimes taking years, and the city should forge ahead on its own.
“By doing this, the hope is that we would better understand the technology and we could also identify any potential issues that we may have, while also gaining some actual real data,” she said. “It’s at least worth investigating.”
Excess vehicle noise has well-documented harms to public health.
While there are legal limits on allowable noise levels, these regulations are rarely enforced by conventional law enforcement.
“It’s not the most effective use of police time,” Agtarap said, adding aftermarket exhaust systems are a major source of the racket.
Noise cameras, similar to red-light cameras, are high definition traffic cameras equipped with audio sensors that are triggered by noisy vehicles.
Agtarap said noise cameras are already employed in nine U.K. cities, Paris, and New York City. An earlier version of the technology was tested in Calgary and Edmonton.
There are legal questions around privacy and data collection, Agtarap said, adding the city would not be able to use the data for enforcement purposes.
However, she said a pilot program would lead to a greater understanding of vehicle noise within Port Moody, and would allow staff to test the relatively new technology ahead of any provincial moves.
Agtarap said there are also equity considerations, noting residents living near major routes, such as those housed in affordable housing projects, are disproportionately affected by street-level noise.
“Everybody has a right to quiet,” she said, noting Port Moody is looking to increase density and affordable housing around its transit lines.
Agtarap added Port Moody’s advocacy for quieter streets had received a fair amount of media attention, and a number of companies in the field have reached out offering free hardware.
Port Moody considers adding devices around city to monitor traffic noise.
Patrick Penner is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter with the Tri-Cities Dispatch. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.