The next wave of law enforcement cameras designed to catch hooning drivers is about to be field-tested on NSW roads.
Noise cameras will be rolled out across two council areas before the end of the year, as part of a multi-agency effort involving the Environment Protection Agency (EPA), Transport for NSW and NSW Police.
The technology will target “anti-social behaviour and noisy vehicles”, according to a NSW government tender, mirroring similar efforts in major cities including New York, Paris and London.
The trial is expected to start in Bayside and Wollongong councils, allowing the EPA to evaluate “the resources required to use noise cameras for regulatory purposes in NSW”.
Heidi Lee Douglas, who lives in Kyeemagh in Bayside Council, said cars and motorcycles “hooning” kept her awake at night, particularly during summer.
“We get a huge amount of hoons coming in, driving around, doing laps, doing burnouts, doing anti-social behaviour, doing drag races,” she said.
The issue galvanised the community – a petition Ms Lee Douglas circulated had more than 2,500 signatures and ultimately led to her being elected as a councillor for the party, Peaceful Bayside.
How noise cameras work
The technology uses noise meters to pick up sounds above a set decibel limit within a distance of just over 15 metres, while cameras zoom in to scan licence plates.
In NSW, cars less than 20 years old are not legally allowed to exceed 90 decibels – about the same volume as a lawn mower, while motorcycles less than 40 years old should not exceed 94 decibels.
Currently, fines of up to $600 can be issued to individuals, but a noise reading needs to be taken while a vehicle is stationary.
It is unclear if the laws will be changed so that noise camera readings of moving vehicles can be used to enforce fines, or if warnings will be issued under the trial instead.
Wollongong councillor Richard Martin said fines were necessary to understand if the trial could change people’s behaviour.
“The amount of residents that contact me complaining about the noise, we’ve got to deter [drivers hooning],” he said.
“Whether the trial of a noise camera is going to deter them, I’m not sure, but a fine certainly will.”
The ABC understands four cameras have been purchased for the trial, with each one estimated to cost $50,000.
The two councils are consulting with the agencies to plan where they will be installed, but the EPA has said the “location of noise cameras may move from time-to-time” – suggesting they can be relocated elsewhere.
Crowdsourced data collected by Bayside Council indicates hooning is worst at Bay Street, Brighton Le Sands; Clareville Avenue, Sandringham, and; Russell Avenue, Dolls Point.
Cr Martin believes a noise camera should be installed at Lawrence Hargrave Drive in Wollongong — a coastal road popular for the attraction, Sea Cliff Bridge.
An emerging technology overseas
Noise camera trials in New York and London have resulted in the technology being used more widely.
New York trialled one camera in mid-2021 before expanding to seven cameras by the end 2023.
First offenders are fined $US800, but can escalate to $US2,500 for repeat offenders.
City officials said at a meeting last year up to 100 noise cameras are planned to be deployed by 2028.
A London council was among the first to field test the technology.
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea trialled noise cameras on Sloane St in 2020, after residents complained about the noise from “Lamborghinis and Ferraris”.
During a three-month period, 69 warnings and 163 fines were issued and, about a year later, more cameras were rolled out across the council area.
Nine “acoustic cameras” are being used in the council area, a spokesperson said, resulting in 675 penalty notices being issued since the start of the trial.
