Sound Postcard

Posted: June 10, 2022

Paris Installs Sensors to Reduce Noise Pollution, Dennis Overbye, World Economic Forum, May 9, 2022 https://youtu.be/G4TVak_IJLo  

 

Credit: World Economic Forum

“Noise makes people ill,” says Dan Lert, deputy mayor for Paris. “It rots the life of Parisians. That’s why we decided to act.”

In 2020, France installed its first sound radars to ticket motorists whose vehicles exceed 55 dB. From 2015-2020, Paris’ first Noise Plan included work to make the city less automobile-dependent, including vehicle restrictions in the city center, rules regarding the highest-polluting vehicles, and a cycling network expansion. This first noise plan cut Paris’ average noise level by two decibels and reduced the number of people living in “Lden” noise, measured as a 24-hour average >68 dB, “from 231,000 in 2015 to 100,994 in 2021”. This was accomplished by adding sound barriers along half the length of the périphérique, the roadway surrounding the city; more frequent roadside noise checks; innovative low-noise asphalt; and a rule that “new housing must have at least one façade ‘not exposed to noise.’” 

To learn more:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-12-02/can-sensor-technology-cut-noise-pollution-in-cities

https://www.weforum.org/videos/paris-installs-noise-sensors-to-tackle-noise-pollution?collection=popular-video-51fa76d387

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2022-04-27/how-paris-is-waging-a-war-on-noise-pollution

https://www.bruitparif.fr/