Effective Jan. 1, vehicle owners can be fined if they breach new noise pollution standards, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said on Tuesday.
New noise pollution controls using high-tech fixed and mobile “noise cameras” are being installed nationwide, the agency said.
A snapshot would be taken of any vehicle that makes excessive noise, with the owner being fined between NT$1,800 and NT$3,600, Department of Air Quality Protection and Noise Control Director-General Tsai Meng-yu (蔡孟裕) told a news conference in Taipei.
Photo: Lo Chi, Taipei Times
If the vehicle is also found to have been illegally modified, the owner could be fined between NT$3,000 and NT$30,000 under the Noise Control Act (噪音管制法), he added.
The revised regulations limit noise emissions by vehicles running on roads with a speed limit of under 50kph to not more than 86 decibels (dB), and not more than 90dB where the speed limit is 50 to 90kph.
Under normal conditions, noise from running vehicles do not exceed 90dB, Tsai said.
Signs indicating the presence of a noise camera will be installed 100m ahead of the camera to warn motorists, the official said.
Noise control punishments would not apply to emergency vehicles, such as fire trucks and ambulances, Tsai said.
Fines will also not be imposed when traffic is too heavy to identify the responsible vehicle, or when weather conditions, such as strong winds or torrential rains, make it difficult to do so, he added.
There are currently 36 “noise cameras” across the nation, he said, adding that the agency is to deploy more in vehicle noise “hot spots” next year, Tsai said.
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