A SECRET fleet of city “noise cameras” has slammed drivers and motorcyclists with more than $1.7 million in fines for blaring horns, booming music, and loud engines in recent years.
The high-tech devices automatically snap photos of vehicles exceeding the city’s noise-code limit of 85 decibels.
Secret city “noise cameras” have fined drivers and motorcyclists over $1.7 million[/caption]
The high-tech devices automatically snap photos of vehicles exceeding the city’s noise-code limit of 85 decibels[/caption]
The newest camera sits on Tillary Street near the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges, a project funded by Brooklyn City Councilman Justin Restler.
“In the last handful of years, things have gotten worse,” Restler said.
“Neighbors are frustrated by the noise, and they feel like it’s really hard to do something about it” without additional surveillance.
The New York City Council approved the measure back in December 2023.
The Tillary Street installation is part of the Department of Environmental Protection’s anti-noise program, which started as a pilot in June 2021 and became a full-time operation in 2023, the New York Post reported.
The program is modeled after speed and red-light cameras, automatically catching offenders when decibel meters register excessive noise.
DEP staff review the photos and issue summonses starting at $800, with repeat offenders facing penalties up to $2,500.
Since the program’s launch, 2,037 summonses have been issued, racking up $1,794,900 in fines.
More than $750,000 of that total has been levied in 2025 alone.
The agency reports that $610,154 of fines have been collected so far.
Cameras have been installed at rotating locations across all boroughs except Staten Island.
They have appeared in Midtown and East Harlem in Manhattan, Long Island City in Queens, and Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.
Exact locations are not publicly disclosed to prevent drivers from avoiding them.
Restler said residents often complain that the streets are so loud they cannot hold a conversation or think clearly in their own apartments.
Traffic, honking, loud mufflers, and music have all surged since the pandemic, he said.
Brooklyn’s Community Board 2 has seen noise complaints jump 112% over the past decade.
Citywide, 311 noise reports climbed from 345,000 a decade ago to more than 740,000 in 2024.
Hundreds of 311 complaints have been logged on Tillary Street alone since 2010.
Another 50 reports focused specifically on excessive honking during the same period.
Experts warn that repeated exposure to loud noise can increase stress, disturb sleep, and even cause heart problems.
Restler defended the cameras as an effective way to curb reckless drivers and disruptive behaviour.
“The only complaint I’ve gotten from constituents is that they want more [of the cameras] on their block,” he said.
A 2024 law requires at least five cameras in each borough by September 30, though funding for new installations was not included in the city’s most recent budget.
“I hope that the next mayor will follow the law and, at a minimum, install five new cameras each year across the city,” Restler said.
