Your editorial is right that noise pollution deserves to be treated as a public-health issue rather than a mere irritation (The Guardian view on noise pollution: keep it down, 28 July). Yet one obvious source of urban noise receives little attention: modified cars and motorbikes whose exhausts and engines have been made far louder than manufacturers intended.
Anyone living in a city or town knows the difference between the background hum of traffic and the explosive revving, popping and roaring produced by a small minority of drivers and riders. These vehicles can wake entire terraces, disrupt outdoor spaces and make life less pleasant for everyone else.
What is most baffling is the lack of enforcement. Excessively noisy exhausts are already unlawful, yet action by the police appears rare. Why are police not being held more accountable for enforcing existing noise laws? The MOT regime also seems inadequate. A vehicle can be failed for being “excessively noisy”, but there is no routine objective decibel measurement comparable to the precise testing applied to emissions, brakes or lights.
The UK has trialled roadside noise cameras that combine microphones with number-plate recognition, and similar systems operate in other countries. Rolling out such technology more widely would be a straightforward, visible and popular way to improve quality of life in towns and cities.
Mark Ebden
Frome, Somerset
As someone who is autistic and suffers from misophonia, or extreme sensitivity to noise, I feel noise pollution has increased exponentially since the Covid pandemic.
To the problem of leaf blowers and automatic hand dryers (which are so loud I can’t use public toilets that have them), I would add things like public phone use and announcements in public places.
For me the problem is so severe that I now struggle to navigate public spaces, but as you point out, such noise pollution affects all of us, even if we aren’t aware of it, with considerable knock-on effects for wildlife.
Deana Heath
Liverpool
Your editorial struck a chord, although it’s not traffic or nightlife that upsets me, but unasked-for music. I’m a musician and composer, and the way my brain is wired does not allow for what other people call “background music”. For me, it’s all in the foreground.
I used to like going to one-day international cricket matches, but they have introduced musical “stingers” to accompany highlights such as hitting a six or taking a wicket. This has resulted in my deciding to no longer attend. It’s the same in restaurants – often waiters cannot turn down the piped racket because it’s controlled elsewhere.
Edward Collier
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
Loud music in shops causes me considerable annoyance. After a recent move to Wales, I have been disappointed to find in this “land of song” that a visit even to an upmarket food store involves an aural assault by what can best be described as nasal wailing.
Sue Zlosnik
Holt, Wrexham
Shrubs, trees and hedges are some of the best sound barriers, as well as good wind breakers and air filters. They are also temperature moderators and good for our mental health. They should be considered essential in urban environments.
Chloë Thompson
Eynsham, Oxfordshire
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