Can Noise Cameras Improve the Quality of Life for Westchester Residents? Ruth Walter Says Yes

Former County Legislator and candidate Ruth Walter, with Reuben Peckham of Intelligent Instruments, makers of the SoundVue noise camera, in front of the Tuckahoe village hall.

By Dan Murphy

Many Westchester communities have fallen victim to excessive noise at night, coming from cars driving at excessive speeds and with loud mufflers. Some of these communities are near the Sprain Parkway, Bronx River Parkway or Central Avenue in lower Westchester.

Candidate and former Westchester County Legislator Ruth Walter is calling on municipal officials across Westchester to implement an innovative, high-tech system to enforce noise limits on car owners whose vehicles dramatically exceed permitted noise levels because of muffler modifications.Walter first proposed the system — which links noise monitoring equipment to traffic cameras to issue summons to violators based on exceeding legal decibel levels — when she chaired the Board of Legislators’ Environment and Health Committee in 2020. She secured $125,000 to launch a pilot of the project in the County’s 2021 Capital Budget.

Since Walter’s initial efforts brought this program to the County’s attention, New York State has passed the SLEEP Act, co-sponsored by State Sen. Shelly Mayer, which creates stricter penalties for modified and excessively loud vehicles on our residential streets, and New York City has launched a successful pilot study of the noise camera technology (SoundVue). The New York City program, which began in June 2021 with a single camera, is being expanded to ten cameras this year.On Monday July 24, Walter brought representatives of Intelligent Instruments, a company based in the U.K. which provided noise camera equipment for New York City’s program, to five separate municipalities in Westchester who are interested in solving this problem for their residents. Walter said, “Noise from modified vehicles on our roadways is more than just a nuisance. It jars us awake at night, startles drivers sharing the road, rattles our nerves and keeps us constantly on edge, and can permanently damage our hearing. It also often accompanies dangerous behavior like racing. It is a quality of life issue, and a health and safety issue for our families and neighbors. Peace and quiet should not be considered a privilege. No one has the right to blast through our neighborhoods with their cars modified to be as loud as a jackhammer. It’s against the law, and we now have the technology to enforce that law.”A recent article published in the New York Times validated the negative impact noise has on the health and quality of life of residents.Reuben Peckham from Intelligent Instruments stated, “This technology will bring relief to thousands of people in their homes for whom noisy mufflers have been a chronic disruption of peace and quiet as well as negatively impacting their health. We are ready to partner with municipalities across Westchester to bring them relief.”County Executive George Latimer said, “Once again, Ruth Walter has brought innovation to a thorny problem in Westchester County.”County Legislator David Immamura, Chair of the Environment Committee said, “Westchester residents deserve a quiet night’s sleep. Without a doubt, innovations like noise cameras will help us achieve that goal, especially in densely populated areas of our cities and Towns.”Paul Feiner, Supervisor from Greenburgh, said, “No one has come up with a solution to a major quality of life problem before Ruth Walter brought this innovative approach to our attention. I’m committed to giving her idea a try – it could make living on Central Ave safer and much better. This is a chronic problem on Central Park Avenue. I applaud her efforts to make our roadways safer and our residents healthier in their homes.”Stuart Rabin, Manager of the Village of Port Chester, said, “We continue to have some motorists drive these modified cars and destroy the peace and quiet of our neighborhoods. We must use every tool at our disposal to discourage this behavior.”Niki Armacost, Mayor of the Village of Hastings-on-Hudson, said “This technology is really interesting and could provide us with a viable solution for noise issues residents report on Warburton, Broadway and the Saw Mill River Parkway. Having noise cameras not just here but around Westchester County will discourage this kind of disruptive motorist behavior. Special thanks to Ruth Walter for bringing this solution to our attention – we look forward to exploring it further with the Board of Trustees and our law enforcement professionals.”Cara Kronen, Deputy Mayor of Tuckahoe, said “Members of the community often voice concerns over loud mufflers and other forms of noise pollution. Ruth Walter is working to address the concerns of Westchester residents with novel and practical solutions.”Said Walter, “I’m looking forward to returning to the County Legislature to finish what I started in bringing forward innovative technology and cost effective solutions to improve the quality of life for residents of the 15th district and all of Westchester.”

Walker says that the project stalled under County Legislator James Nolan, who defeated Walter two years ago. This is the first shot in what is perhaps the most closely watched County Board race this year between Walter and Nolan.

For more information about Ruth Walter visit www.electruthwalter.com