European Parliament condemns European citizens to noisier cities

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The amendments proposed by the Rapporteur, Miroslav Ouzký, and approved by the full Parliament will lead to the loosening of the current noise limits for some vehicles, which were set almost twenty years ago. The weaker standards will allow much louder sports cars on to the road and mean that lorries stay at today’s unacceptable noise levels.

T&E policy officer Cécile Toubeau commented: “Today’s vote wastes a once-in-a-generation opportunity to give us all quieter lives. It overturns a positive result from the Environment Committee, and shows that MEPs put the scaremongering of the automotive industry above the health of citizens. As a result, our roads will get louder in the coming years.” 

Reducing noise from vehicles is a public health imperative, with nearly half of all EU citizens exposed to road traffic noise over the level the World Health Organisation (WHO) considers to pose a serious risk to health [1]. The four-decibel cut in vehicle noise emissions proposed by the Commission would have been equivalent to more than halving current traffic levels [2].

HEAL deputy director Anne Stauffer added: “MEPs today turned down a huge opportunity to improve the quality of life and health of European citizens. We urge the EU Member States to correct this approach and commit to effective vehicle noise reductions in order to reap substantial economic and health benefits.”