The coastal resort of La Baule-Escoublac in north west France is the latest French town to install the new-style anti-noise radar intended to crack down on noise pollution, following in the footsteps of cities including Nice, Toulouse and Paris.
The Interior Ministry has yet to officially approve the radar for law enforcement, so owners of vehicles that break the 90 decibel limit – a level that “corresponds to noise likely to cause annoyance to road users or residents” – will not be initially fined.
Government approval is expected sooner rather than later, however, meaning more towns and cities are likely to install the devices in the months and years ahead.
Anti-noise radars, which are equipped with a central 360-degree camera and several direction-identifying microphones on extended branches, have already been installed in two Paris arrondissements, Nice, Toulouse, Rueil-Malmaison, the Yvelines towns of Saint-Lambert and Saint-Forget, and Villeneuve-le-Roi in Val-de-Marne.
Officials at councils in Yvelines and Essonne have claimed that some vehicles create roadside noise of up to 120 decibels or more, L’Automobile magazine reports.
The devices are still in the test phase to ensure accuracy in noise measurement and vehicle identification.
But, once the trial period is complete and the radar get the expected Interior Ministry approval, fines will be set at €135, falling to €90 for payment within 15 days.
The devices are already operational in and around Geneva, Switzerland.