SNC Lavalin : Atkins-Jacobs JV leads trial to tackle loud engines on Britain’s noisiest...

A search for Britain's noisiest streets has been launched by the Department for Transport, with four areas across England and Wales set to trial new technology, developed by Atkins-Jacobs JV, to help stop rowdy motorists revving their engines unnecessarily or using illegal exhausts.

MPs are being invited to submit applications to trial new innovative noise cameras in their local area, helping to ensure communities can enjoy their public and residential spaces peacefully.

The technology, backed by £300,000 investment, can automatically detect when vehicles are breaking legal noise requirements, helping provide police and local authorities with the tools and evidence to take action against drivers who flout noise laws. Police have existing powers, including the ability to issue fines, but currently have trouble gathering evidence.

Research shows noise pollution can have significant impacts on physical and mental health for local residents - with heart attacks, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and stress all linked to long-term contact with loud environments.

Excessive noise pollution can also mean children struggle to get a good night's sleep and hardworking people's lives are made more stressful. In England alone, the annual social cost of urban road noise was estimated to be £7-£10 billion in 2010. This is the total economic cost of exposure to noise pollution including lost productivity from sleep disturbance and health costs from heart attacks, strokes and dementia.

As set out in the Government's Levelling Up White Paper, 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.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: "We want all those in Britain's noisiest streets, who are kept up at night by unbearable revving engines, to come forward to test this innovative technology.

"For too long, rowdy drivers have been able to get away with disturbing our communities with illegal noisy vehicles. It's time we clamp down on this nuisance, banish the boy racer and restore peace and quiet to local streets."

The technology being used in the trial can provide real-time reports which police can use and may result in more targeted and efficient enforcement methods to crack down on noisy motorists.

The trial will be led by the Atkins-Jacobs Joint Venture, formed by the two professional services firms to provide technical consultancy including acoustics expertise, design, modelling and asset management.

This follows commitments made by the Government to ensure that police in England and Wales have the same powers to deal with noise complaints as are already available in Scotland, including providing them with effective tools for tackling incidents which constitute crime and anti-social behavior and which can make life a misery for others.

Atkins-Jacobs JV Practice Director Andrew Pearce said: "This scheme is a critical development for people living in areas affected by anti-social driving. It demonstrates how we can use technology to take a highly targeted approach to solving these problems.

"Testing different noise measurement technologies with a range of vehicles in this controlled environment means we can ensure tickets are only sent to drivers with illegal and anti-social cars or bikes.

"Highway authorities will be able to automate noise enforcement and get on top of the problem without using up valuable police resources."

Existing legislation requires exhausts and silencers to be maintained in good working order and not altered so as to increase noise. Under the Road Traffic Act 1988 (Section 42) the potential penalty for non-compliance with these requirements is a £50 on the spot fine.

Noise Abatement Society chief executive Gloria Elliott OBE said: "Excessively noisy vehicles cause unnecessary disturbance, stress and anxiety to many, and in some cases 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."

Notes to editors

• DfT is targeting individual excessively noisy vehicles that are breaking vehicle noise requirements. This includes vehicles fitted with illegal exhausts or drivers revving engines unnecessarily. We are not targeting specific roads/streets that are noisy due to background noise (i.e. a busy motorway/A road) so will not be proposing any changes to speed limits.
• The letter has gone out to all MPs in England and Wales.
• Atkins-Jacobs will receive up to £300k to roll out the trials.

About Atkins

Atkins (www.atkinsglobal.com) is one of the world's most respected design, engineering and project management consultancies, employing over 19,000 people across the UK, North America, Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific and Europe. We build long-term trusted partnerships to create a world where lives are enriched through the implementation of our ideas.

About SNC-Lavalin

Founded in 1911, SNC-Lavalin is a fully integrated professional services and project management company with offices around the world dedicated to engineering a better future for our planet and its people. We create sustainable solutions that connect people, technology and data to design, deliver and operate the most complex projects. We deploy global capabilities locally to our clients and deliver unique end-to-end services across the whole life cycle of an asset including consulting, advisory & environmental services, intelligent networks & cybersecurity, design & engineering, procurement, project & construction management, operations & maintenance, decommissioning and capital. - and delivered to clients in key strategic sectors such as Engineering Services, Nuclear, Operations & Maintenance and Capital. News and information are available at snclavalin.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

About Jacobs

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good. With $14 billion in revenue and a talent force of approximately 55,000, Jacobs provides a full spectrum of professional services including consulting, technical, scientific and project delivery for the government and private sector. Visit jacobs.com and connect with Jacobs on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

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