New York rolling out noise law, listening tech for souped-up speedsters
City noise pollution is a factor in all-cause mortality due to
long-term, barely perceptible stress effects on the cardiovascular
system. Unfortunately, one of the most disturbing and frequency sources
of city noise pollution is from emergency vehicle sirens.<p>I gave a presentation at the Audio Engineering Society titled
"Iatrogenic Sound", on the tragic irony of how sirens may causally
contribute to the heart attacks and strokes that ambulances are
rushing to treat.<p>We were exploring the acoustics of urban design and the sound-design
of sirens. The sweeping "wailer" siren is in fact one of the <i>worst</i>
possible designs imaginable - all the wrong characteristics for
locatability of source, annoyance versus attention ratio, penetration
of dwellings etc. Add to that the design of modern "luxury" cars which
are soundproofed, fitted with anti-noise and blaring ICE systems to
block the world out.<p>There isn't an easy solution. Most laws give police, fire and
ambulance crews "discretion" in the use of sirens. In the UK that's
Article 99. But here, the removal of crown immunity and insurance
pressures mean the crew now <i>always</i> deploy, even at times of night
when it would have previously been illegal under other laws. I expect
the same complex spheres of interest clash in NYC too.