Readers responding to an editorial on noise pollution have identified modified cars and motorbikes as a significant contributor to urban noise. These vehicles, whose exhausts and engines have been made louder than manufacturers intended, are described as capable of waking residents and disrupting outdoor spaces.
Despite excessively noisy exhausts being unlawful, police enforcement is reportedly rare. The MOT regime is also considered inadequate, as it lacks routine objective decibel measurements comparable to tests for emissions or brakes.
The UK has trialled roadside noise cameras that use microphones and number-plate recognition. Similar systems are in operation in other countries.