Edmonton noisy vehicle enforcement pilot sees mixed results

A new report on the results of a two-year vehicle noise enforcement pilot set to go before city councillors on Wednesday shows automated technology may still need some tweaks.

The community and public services committee report summarizes efforts to collect data on the use of specialized noise monitoring equipment as well as trends in vehicle noise, planned in two phases during the summers of 2019 and 2020.

Part of that included testingautomated noise monitoring technologies cycled between nine locations fromJuly to September 2020.

The equipment was able to detect and record audio levels and video when noise thresholds were broken.

But the technology couldn't tell the difference between sources of noise or identify offending vehicles to the precision required by court.

"It's concerning that it's not as accurate as we would hope for," Coun. Jon Dziadyk, the committee's vice-chair, said Monday.

Administration's goal was to identify when best to deploy enforcement personnel, according to the report. Peace officers were also sent to verify the information and identify offending vehicles.

Only one instance resulted in enforcement being taken.Peace officers spent 150 hours at or near targeted enforcement locations.

Dziadyk has been critical of automated speed enforcementand said he has similar concerns about a parallel approach to noise. He said education campaigns have made progress and should come first.

"I think Edmontonians are more aware that this is an issue, especially as more people are working from home," he said.

Next steps outlined inthe report include pursuing individual and industry education, using complaint data to identify target locations and exploring "new and cost-effective" technology for data gathering and resource deployment.

The 2020 pilot cost about $192,000 for equipment rental, installation, monitoring, maintenance and software. Personnel costs were absorbed by existing budgets.

The report says new funding would be needed for equipment purchase or operations were the approach to continue.

Bylaw and police collaboration

A mobile noise monitoring unit was also used, but was hampered by the wide-ranging geography of excessive noise complaints.

Using the mobile unit with staff nearby was resource-intensive and only had limited success, the report says.

It says static equipment has only limited value without changing provincial legislation to treat noise similarly to the photo radar program.

Despite the technology tested last summer missing the accuracy mark, Coun. Andrew Knacksaid it could be useful for municipalities to have that enforcement option when the time comes.

"Because that technology I'm sure will evolve as most technology does," he said.

Knack said although the pilot didn't work in all the ways the city hoped, there were other positive outcomes.

The report highlights that data collected did provide information on trouble spotsand times. It also demonstrated a strong correlation between excessive noise and speed.

Anecdotal evidence suggested the presence of equipment, additional enforcement and the overall pilot initiative hada positive impact.

Bringing together technology with personnel through joint-force initiatives also increased collaboration and built the relationship between Edmonton police and city administration, the report says.

• New plan to put brakes (and mufflers) on Edmonton's loud or lead-footed motorists
• Edmonton police targeting noisy vehicles as pandemic drives up complaints

Last summer's Project TENSOR was part of the 2020 pilot program. It saw the city and Edmonton police giving some extra attention to eight trouble spots between May and September.

A summary of the traffic enforcement campaign shows 1,684 charges were laid 335 violation tickets specifically related to noise.

"That new relationship, and what I think will be an ongoing relationship, is really a great outcome from the pilot," Knack said.

In 2019, peace officers began enforcement efforts for loud vehicles, not includingmotorcycles. Previously, Edmonton police were solely responsible for moving vehicle enforcement duties related to noise.

The City of Edmonton issued 138 tickets and 131 warnings related to noise enforcement or vehicle equipment regulation in 2020.

Going forward, vehicle equipment-related offences are also to be added to the peace officer's mandate, focusing on modified or after-market exhaust systems.