White Plains, NY — The Board of Legislators is working to improve noise control for residents living near our County parkways.

On Monday, the Board approved financing for a pilot program to use automatic noise detectors to help the County identify – and ultimately ticket – drivers who violate legal noise limits.

The study comes at the urging of Legislator Ruth Walter (D - Bronxville, Yonkers), Chair of the Board's Environment and Health Committee.

Under the program, approved this week, the County will explore how to use noise detectors, along with pre-existing technology like traffic cameras and license plate readers, to automatically identify violators of current noise limits of 75 decibels.  The County will focus its initial feasibility investigation on the Bronx River Parkway.

Leg. Walter said, "I'm gratified that the County is beginning this innovative noise monitoring study. I regularly hear from constituents in Yonkers and Bronxville living along the Bronx River Parkway about the problem of noisy vehicles.  Identifying and cracking down on drivers who violate noise limits, will make a meaningful difference to the quality of life for people in my district.  But it is also important to the quality of life of residents all over the County. Drivers can't be allowed to blast through our communities, often racing dangerously, with vehicles that don't comply with basic legal noise limits. I thank County Executive George Latimer for advancing this program, and look forward to working with Public Safety Commissioner Gleason to find the best ways to implement it."

Public Works and Transportation Committee Chair Vedat Gashi (D - Yorktown, New Castle, Somers), said, “This is an important project. Modernizing our infrastructure means not only making our roads better for vehicles but also for our environment, and that includes reducing noise and noise pollution.”

Public Safety Chair Colin Smith (D - Cortlandt, Peekskill, Yorktown) said, “Noise violations are serious and important detriments to the quality of life of people who live around our major roadways. But just as important, they are often associated with dangerous behavior like drag racing. I very much hope that with this study we’ll be able to arrive at a forward-looking, technology solution that we can deploy around the County.”