NYC Council plans to fight loud streets with 'noise cameras'

New York City is a really noisy place.

Over a third of all 311 calls in the first quarter of this year were noise-related, according to a report released Tuesday by New York City Councilmember Keith Powers, who represents the extra loud neighborhoods of Midtown and its surrounding areas. The city’s legislative body was scheduled to introduce seven bills aimed at reducing noise pollution on Wednesday, including enforcement actions against the most clamorous violators. But the meeting was postponed on Tuesday, and City Council spokesperson Isaac Andino said it will likely be rescheduled for next month.

The legislative package seeks to amend the standards for what is unreasonable noise for commercial establishments. The new definition pertains to noise emanating from both interior and exterior spaces such as music from bars. The regulations would also extend to construction sites, which could be subject to inspections by the city’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), upon the request of any resident within a half-mile radius of an active work zone.

The proposed laws go beyond expanding the definition of when sound becomes a nuisance. For vehicular traffic, monitoring and enforcement actions could look a lot like the city’s existing speed camera program.

One of the strategies to quiet the city is introducing so-called “noise cameras” along streets. In February 2022, the DEP announced a pilot program that installed such devices with sound meters 15 feet above roadways. These cameras activate when they detect a sound of 85 A-weighted decibels (dB(A)) or more from about 50 feet away.

At that distance, without factoring in car modifications such as loud mufflers and exhaust pipes or the bass-pumping subwoofers, the threshold would ticket the average heavy-duty diesel tractor trailer traveling at 40 mph, which has a level at just about 85 dB(A).

“Noise is a harmful health hazard,” said noise expert Arline Bronzaft, professor emerita of CUNY who was also appointed by five mayors as a board member of the environmental organization GrowNYC. “Noise adversely affects our mental and physical wellbeing.”

The DEP’s Guide to NYC’s Noise Code states that average noise levels are 60-70 dB(A) in the city. Midtown traffic noise ranges from 70 to 85 dB(A). Inside a subway station, it can exceed 100 dB(A). A single jackhammer on a construction site measures at 110 dB(A).

Prolonged exposure to sound over 70 dB(A) can damage hearing, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The city’s average noise levels exceed federal and World Health Organization recommendations. The WHO calls for noise levels less than 30 dB(A) inside bedrooms for a decent night’s sleep — the equivalent of a soft whisper. For an effective classroom learning environment, the global health agency sets levels at under 40 dB(A) – the sound of a refrigerator hum.

“Noise is an intrusive sound that causes stress,” Bronzaft said. “When an individual's body is stressed, the heart beats faster, the pulse rate increases, there are changes in cardiovascular responses, and if this is sustained, those parts of the body that are affected by the stress can break down.”

Under one bill proposal, a noise camera program would spot loud cars and automatically give out tickets for violations of the city's noise code. In NYC, such penalties range from $220 for the first offense to $2,625 for repeat offenders.

In a 2012 health department study, roughly 20% of New York City residents say they are consistently disturbed by noise in their homes, and the department states nearly 1 in 6 adult New Yorkers experience ringing in their ears or hearing loss. These health conditions are preventable, but cannot be cured or treated once experienced.

Powers, the sponsor of more than half these bills, said loud sounds are a big problem for his constituents. Complaints to his office have continued to increase since the start of the pandemic when residents began working from home.

“There's tons of noise issues, and I think New Yorkers only recourse so far has been to call 311, and hope that that will resolve it somehow,” Powers said. “We're trying to take a few more steps to give New Yorkers tools and options to do that.”

How NYC’s noise cameras would work

Similar to a speed camera, when a noise camera detects a loud car, it takes a photo of the license plate, and then the city mails the owner a ticket. In NYC, noise code penalties range from $220 for the first offense to $2,625 for repeat offenders. One of the proposed bills would expand this camera program citywide.

In its current form, the noise camera program has limitations. Powers said there is difficulty in discerning vehicles when there is high volume traffic, such as highways.

“It may be better for residential areas, where it's a little bit easier to pick out the vehicle,” Powers said. “It's meant to tackle a number of issues, including vehicles that have been modified and are operating and driving over allowable decibel limits.”

Noise expert Erica Walker said while these noise cameras can be effective in pinpointing the location of commotion, they are a blunt tool for solving noise complaints.

Unless these cameras are equally distributed throughout New York City, they will tend to be heavily placed in areas that are not white...

Erica Walker, epidemiology professor, Brown University School of Public Health

“Unless these cameras are equally distributed throughout New York City, they will tend to be heavily placed in areas that are not white, and they'll be heavily used against people that are not white,” said Walker, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Brown University's School of Public Health.

Noise levels aren’t consistent from neighborhood to neighborhood, and the new definition of unreasonable noise depends on the localized ambient noise level, or the normal background sounds heard like traffic. That, in turn, depends on the context – location and time.

“Loudness is not the only aspect of sound that drives community discomfort,” Walker said.

The new definitions set unreasonable noise as a factor of local ambient sound, time and proximity. The previous noise code set unreasonable sound at 7 dB(A) or more over the ambient levels between the hours of 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. The proposed code would include day time limits not to exceed 10 dB(A) or more over the ambient levels between the hours of 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. at the same distances.

It also sets limits for impulsive sound, defined as short abrupt bursts of loud noise such as firecrackers, gunshots or explosions. When these noises reach 15 dB(A) or more above the ambient sound level, they’re considered unreasonable.

The package of noise bills includes mechanisms for transparency. If passed, the DEP would have to publish noise inspection results within 24 hours of completion. It would also require DEP and the NYPD to provide a copy of the inspection report created after a 311 complaint upon request, without going through the procedure of filing a Freedom of Information Law request.

“Our goal is a quiet night's sleep and a more peaceful New York City,” Powers said.

If you want to assess the noise levels in your home, the CDC has a free phone app that can measure sound levels.