The noise camera was mounted at the level of the Memorial Church. The four microphones are located behind the baskets, with the 180-degree camera at the bottom Copyright: Sven Darmer Photo: Sven Darmer
From Hildburg Bruns
This box made in France lets many Berliners sleep more easily. Because he flashes the license plates of PS-Prozern on Kurfürstendamm. A German premiere.
The environmental senate is testing the noise camera on Kurfürstendamm for eight weeks. After a successful deployment in Paris, Berlin borrowed the device for 22,000 euros.
The 40-kilo box hangs on a 7-meter mast at the Memorial Church. It has eight microphones, a 180-degree camera below and two license plate cameras. The highlight of the device (“Hydre”): Hydre filters out the loudest vehicle, even in dense traffic with noise coming from all directions. The volume always refers to a distance of 7.6 meters and a height of 1.2 meters.
Environment Senator Manja Schreiner uses the sign to inform people that this is a traffic test. Copyright: Sven Darmer Photo: Sven Darmer
“It’s a great innovation,” says Berlin’s Senator for the Environment, Manja Schreiner (45, CDU). “Because traffic noise, for example due to vehicle tuning or heavy acceleration, means stress for many people in Berlin.” When the last noise action plan was drawn up, there were 400 complaints from this area alone.
But first it is just a test in cooperation with the Technical University. Revealed PS showstoppers don’t get a ticket into the house – there are also legal hurdles for that. For example, a decibel threshold would first have to be set in the road traffic regulations.
During the test, the speed camera detects cars and motorcycles that are louder than 82 decibels. In France, the maximum registration limit for motor vehicles is 72 decibels, explains Hydre expert Raphael Coulmann.
In Paris, the noise camera caught an average of 22 roaring hp rowdies a day. Senator Schreiner: “I’m looking forward to the Berlin results.” The influence of the time of day and the weather should also be examined.