§ Mr. Arthur Jonesasked the Minister of Transport (1) what steps she proposes to take to strengthen the law against noisy street vehicles, including motor cycles and power-assisted bicycles;
(2) what equipment and standards exist to enable evidence to be produced to support court proceedings against excessive levels of noise from street vehicles.
§ Mr. SwinglerThe British Standards Institution has published a Standard for meters for measuring noise from motor vehicles and several manufacturers make meters complying with it. These meters indicate the level of noise made by a passing vehicle in decibel units. Evidence that a vehicle had been shown by a noise meter to have produced a certain number of decibels could be presented in support of court proceedings, but it would be for the Court to determine what weight should be given to such evidence and whether or not the noise made by the vehicle had been excessive in the particular circumstances of the case.
But in order to reduce uncertainty and to strengthen the law my right hon. Friend hopes to make regulations prescribing the actual maximum noise levels which it will be an offence for various classes of motor vehicles, including motor cycles and power-assisted bicycles, to exceed when used on a road.