KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The City of Knoxville installed a temporary noise-monitoring camera at a busy downtown intersection on Monday.
This move comes as some people living in downtown Knoxville said they are fed up with overly noisy vehicles rumbling through the streets.
The camera was installed at the intersection of Gay Street and Clinch Avenue, according to City officials.
The camera won't constantly be recording, but a short recording window is triggered by a loud vehicle. Data that will be collected includes the time and date of a noise violation, the vehicle type, and a photo of the vehicle's license plate, City officials said.
"Cities are always noisy, always have been. But this is different. This is deliberate," City of Knoxville Downtown Coordinator Rick Emmett said.
Many of the cars, trucks, and motorcycles in question have modified exhausts and loud sound systems.
"There are several that seem to come down here a lot that have systems that sound like guns firing," downtown resident Kim Henry said.
Henry said the noise makes working from home or even having a conversation over a meal sometimes impossible.
"We've heard a lot of noise complaints and things specifically around really loud modified mufflers, people revving their engines way louder than they should normally," policy and innovation business manager Carter Hall said.
The footage alone from the noise-monitoring camera can't be used as the basis for issuing any noise violation citations. Although, warnings may be issued, according to City officials.
Once the noise-camera demonstration project ends, the City will evaluate the camera's performance and the data generated before deciding where such a tool could be beneficial to effective enforcement of the City's noise-restriction ordinance going forward.
In October of 2020, the presidents of 17 downtown Home Owners Associations wrote a letter to Mayor Indya Kincannon requesting Knoxville Police to enforce the city's noise ordinance.
"I think it's important for folks to understand that folks live and work down here and that if you're being disruptive, it's no different than someone coming to your workplace or your home and doing the same thing right outside your door," said Gerald Witt, HOA president for the 300 building.
The fine for violating the noise ordinance is $50.
Officials ask people to report vehicles that are in violation, including a license plate number, to 311.