Annoyed by loud motorcycles Affected residents demand noise monitors at hotspots

In the tranquil community of Steinmaur ZH, anger at motorcyclists is on the rise. Crowds of motorcycles rattle along the winding main road, especially at weekends. Residents are therefore calling for noise speed cameras - other municipalities are also demanding measures.

The small municipality of Steinmaur ZH, with a population of just under 3,000, offers a beautiful recreational area with a high residential value. However, those who live too close to the main road are regularly disturbed by noisy motorcycles. The winding cantonal road has become a hotspot for motorcyclists.

For Robert Brunner, the idyll has now become a noise nuisance. The green former cantonal councillor lives directly on the main road. He also runs a cidery there. Like so many of his neighbors, Brunner feels massively disturbed by the street noise. The roaring motorcycles in particular annoy the residents, reports the "Zürcher Unterländer" (paid article).

The winding road from Steinmaur via Regensberg and down to Boppelsen attracts countless motorcyclists, especially at weekends. They speed up the road in columns in the morning. In the evening, they return at the same decibel level. "Our community is massively plagued by noisy vehicles," complains Brunner. "I love rainy weekends, because then these idiots spare us," grumbles the noisy resident.

Useless whispering surface

The problem is not new: the canton had already imposed a speed limit on parts of the road. However, the limit failed after voters rejected the introduction of a 30 km/h speed limit on neighborhood streets. The Automobile Club (ACS) appealed against the decision and demanded so-called whispering surfaces instead. However, these do not help against loud and roaring engines.

Robert Brunner is therefore calling for the use of noise speed cameras. The speed camera detects vehicles that exceed a specified noise level threshold. "We now need a measuring instrument, similar to the speed camera, that can detect when a violation of the Road Traffic Act has occurred," says Brunner.

Municipalities are fighting back

Residents in other regions are also annoyed by the noise of motorcyclists on the roads. A popular meeting place for two-wheelers in the Zurich Unterland is the Irchelstrasse between Freienstein-Teufen and Berg am Irchel. Loud motorcycles whip along the winding road all day long. For local residents, the leisure activity of the motorcycle cliques has long since become a nuisance.

However, there is no solution in sight to curb the noise. Police checks were carried out several times last year, says municipal clerk Marco Suter. Loud drivers were also taken off the road at short notice. But the definition of "loud" is almost impossible to prove to the police - or to punish. This is why Suttner also calls for his municipality: "We would welcome the use of noise speed cameras in future."

Residents in Bülach ZH also struggle with noisy motorcyclists. The round trip via Neftenbach with its winding roads is no longer an insider tip for bikers. The mini pass from Rorbas to Buch am Irchel in particular, with its many left and right turns, is very popular with the motorcycling community. Here too, the police are trying to get to grips with the flood of noisy two-wheelers by carrying out more checks.

A few days ago, twelve drivers were reported for causing unnecessary noise. Overall, however, this is just a drop in the ocean. Next weekend, roaring queues of bikers will once again frequent the route - to the annoyance of local residents. Motorcyclists on Hohlstrasse in Zurich, Albisstrasse and Sternenberg have identified other well-known "in" spots with winding roads.

Noise speed cameras should bring the solution

Noise cameras are already being tested in some places in Switzerland. They have already been used in Laufental in the canton of Basel. The cities of Geneva and Lausanne are now also using them on a trial basis. Zurich is to follow suit.

France has already installed several noise cameras. The first three noise cameras were installed in Paris in 2019. Since then, a few more have been added across the country. The French noise cameras use four microphones to measure the noise of passing vehicles. Fines are imposed from 84 decibels.

At the end of August, the Noise League submitted a petition to the federal government to clear the way for noise speed cameras in Switzerland too. In just three weeks, around 20,000 petitions were collected in favor of using the devices. "This shows that noise speed cameras meet with great support among the population," writes the Lärmliga on its website.