Noise pollution: Residents find illegally-loud vehicles in Streatham every three minutes

A group of Streatham residents are tackling noise pollution from modified motorbikes and cars using a high-tech microphone crowdfunded by the community.

The results of their summer monitoring project reveal a shocking level of traffic noise which is affecting the physical and mental health of locals, with hundreds of vehicles recorded emitting illegal levels of noise.

And now they’re urging Lambeth Council to take action, as major cities across the world begin to tackle traffic-generated noise.

Residents monitored traffic in Streatham for a total of 25 hours over the summer months and over 500 vehicles breaking the law – one every 2.8 minutes. 307 vehicles were recorded making noise above 80 decibels (dB), a ‘harsh sound’ equivalent to standing next to welding equipment – which is 100 times louder than normal human speech (60dB).

Any noise exceeding 70 decibels (dB) is considered disturbing. The UK’s traffic noise limit of 72dB is in line with European new vehicle certification laws. Sustained exposure to noise above 80dB can result in hearing loss.

Lukasz, Donna and James from Streatham Wells identified the A23/Streatham High Road, Streatham Common North and Leigham Court Road as particular noise pollution hotspots.

Over summer 2023 they gathered a group of Streatham Wells locals to crowdfund the £350 required to hire a professional handheld noise meter and data analysis software.

Residents from across the area contributed to the fund and six volunteers then recorded vehicle noise levels on streets around Streatham at various times of the day.

Lukasz said “we have first-hand reports of residents forced to wear earplugs in their own homes, worsening of existing health conditions, children and babies having insufficient sleep, and cyclists and pedestrians frightened by loud bangs of exhaust systems at very close range.”

Most London residents will be familiar with the piercing, drill-like roar of motorbikes speeding up and down their streets, often late at night.

The increasing popularity of illegally modified cars and motorbikes with extremely loud exhausts has been impacting communities all over London and the UK.

It is illegal to modify the exhaust system of a vehicle to make it noisier. Under the Road Traffic Act 1988 offenders can receive an on-the-spot fine – but it’s just £50.

In the Streatham experiment, four vehicles were recorded above 100dB, the equivalent to using a handheld electric drill close to your ear. Experts say serious hearing damage can result in exposure to 100dB over eight hours.

In October 2022 the Department for Transport announced a £300,000 noise camera trial to remove loud engines and exhausts from Bradford, Bristol, Great Yarmouth and Birmingham.

The new system uses video cameras and microphones to accurately pinpoint excessively noisy vehicles. Local police then use the evidence to fine drivers.

But this wasn’t quick enough for Lucasz and friends, who decided to take matters into their own hands and assess the level of the problem on their own doorsteps.

“We recorded measurements for 25 hours and 20 minutes during 49 different sessions in the Streatham Wells area” said Donna. “This included Streatham High Road, Streatham Common North and Leigham Court Road.

The loudest vehicle was recorded at 105.7dB. The total number of vehicles (excluding emergency services) exceeding the noise limit of 74dB was 525 – that’s one vehicle every 2.8 minutes.”

However, there is currently no way for residents to report road traffic noise or noise from illegally modified vehicle exhausts to Lambeth’s Noise Complaints Service.

The residents have written to Lambeth Council asking them to trial noise cameras in the area, with a view to rolling them out across other noise hotspots in the borough if successful.

A number of cities around the world have become concerned about illegal levels of traffic noise, including Paris and Brussels which have introduced speed limits of 30 kph (19 mph) to reduce street noise, and Antwerp, which is using sound-blocking screens and quieter road surfaces to eliminate noise above 70db around housing.

In London, the Boroughs of Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea have adopted acoustic traffic cameras. The introduction of these cameras – like speed cameras, but for noise – have led to fewer illegal vehicles and improved quality of life for residents.

The World Health Organisation says excessive noise seriously harms human health and interferes with people’s daily activities at school, at work, at home and during leisure time. Excessive noise can also disturb sleep, and cause cardiovascular and psycho-physiological effects,

According to the government, research shows noise pollution can have significant impacts on physical and mental health, with heath attacks, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and stress all linked to long-term contact with loud environments.

The cost to the economy through health impacts and sleep deprivation is estimated at £10 billion per year.

The government’s Levelling Up white paper says complaints about noise are highest among the most economically-deprived areas, with those in more disadvantaged areas as much as three times as likely to suffer from noise nuisance.

Last year, Noise Abatement Society Chief Executive, Gloria Elliott OBE, said

“excessively noisy vehicles cause unnecessary disturbance, stress, anxiety and physical pain. They disrupt the environment and people’s peaceful enjoyment of their homes and public places. Communities across the UK are increasingly suffering from this entirely avoidable blight. The Noise Abatement Society applauds rigorous, evidence-based solutions to address this issue and protect the public.”

Now Donna, Lucasz, James and the Streatham residents are urging Lambeth Council to adopt ‘noise cameras’ like other London councils. These cameras enjoy widespread public and political support, with 97% of Kensington and Chelsea residents supporting a Public Spaces Protection Order for Nuisance Vehicles in 2021.

Kensington and Chelsea now has six mobile cameras in the borough, with data suggesting cameras can pay for themselves within 12 months.

We asked Lucasz if local and national government needs to do more to tackle traffic noise. “Yes – and now is the time to do it. Loud vehicles have never been more popular among car and motorcycle enthusiasts, or more unpopular among the general public.”

The government’s recent Plan for Drivers highlights the need for quieter neighbourhoods and confirms it will allow local councils to roll out noise cameras to target unacceptable vehicle modifications.

Donna, Lucasz and James are urging other Lambeth residents affected by vehicle noise to contact their Councillors to lobby for better protections for them and their families.

They suggest locals could also carry out their own monitoring to provide evidence to Lambeth on how the noise issue is affecting people’s daily lives

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