Enforcement against Motorists for Exceeding Noise Emission Limits in Last Five Years
Ministry of Sustainability and the EnvironmentSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns enforcement actions against motorists for exceeding noise emission limits and the potential implementation of acoustic cameras for monitoring. MP Leon Perera asked for five-year enforcement statistics and suggested using camera technology during late-night hours to detect offending motorists. Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu Hai Yien reported that enforcement actions ranged from a high of 177 in 2018 to 76 in 2021, based on standards set by the National Environment Agency. She explained that noise violations stem from factors like illegal modifications and poor maintenance, which the agency regulates through registration and in-use standards. Finally, she noted that while acoustic cameras currently face accuracy and reliability challenges in local traffic, the agency continues to explore their potential use for future enforcement trials.
Transcript
56 Mr Leon Perera asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) in each of the last five years, how many enforcement actions have been taken against motorists for exceeding the noise emission limits; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider trialling the use of acoustic cameras to support enforcement during late-night and early-morning hours where traffic is light and offending motorists are likely to interrupt residents' sleep and they would more likely be detected by such cameras.
Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: Excessive vehicle noise can be caused by a variety of factors, including vehicle design, illegal modifications, poor maintenance and inconsiderate driver behaviour. The National Environment Agency (NEA) sets noise emission standards that new vehicles must adhere to upon registration, as well as in-use noise emission standards to ensure that vehicles plying the roads are regularly serviced, well-maintained and do not emit excessive noise.
NEA carries out enforcement actions against vehicles that violate the noise emission standards based on feedback. In the past five years, enforcement actions were taken against 167 vehicles in 2017, 177 in 2018, eight in 2019, nine in 2020 and 76 in 2021.
The use of acoustic cameras for monitoring and enforcement requires rigorous testing under local traffic conditions, as the cameras have limited ability in detecting noise violations from individual vehicles accurately and reliably. Nonetheless, NEA continues to explore acoustic cameras and other technologies with a view to trialling them to strengthen enforcement against noisy vehicles.