The Philadelphia Parking Authority may soon launch an AI-powered system for automated ticketing of noisy automobiles

Philadelphia is looking to muffle noisy cars using artificial intelligence — and fines.

A new bill from City Councilmember Mark Squilla would pave the way for automated enforcement to begin as soon as this summer, following months of tests of AI-powered, noise-seeking cameras on a stretch of South Street known for drawing lines of subwoofer-equipped cars on weekends.

“The hope for the program is to curtail the overexuberant noises from these vehicles,” Squilla said Thursday. “And hopefully being able to enforce this without having to follow or chase down these cars.”

Loud motorized vehicles have long driven nuisance complaints from residents, from buzzing ATVs on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to muscle car “side shows” near City Hall and other prominent city intersections.

Squilla has been making noise about using automated enforcement to cut down on vehicular racket since at least 2021, when he passed a law formally prohibiting automobiles from generating sounds or vibrations “five decibels above background level” when measured from at least 25 feet away. The same measure authorized a pilot program in conjunction with the Philadelphia Parking Authority to test enforcement mechanisms.

His new bill would give the legal green light needed for PPA to begin enforcement. It will likely be called for a committee hearing this spring, and, if Squilla gets his way, a final vote by early June or sooner.

Last fall, the city’s Office of Information Technology issued a $75,000 contract for the pilot program to Intelligent Instruments Limited, a firm based in the United Kingdom that manufactures a system called SoundVue that the company says “uses clever algorithms and AI to detect excess noise.”

This system relies on cameras equipped with sensors that detect noise above 85 decibels — the level at which it begins to damage human hearing — from up to 50 feet away. If a car trips the decibel meter, the camera snaps a photo of its license plate and issues a ticket, similar to speed and red light cameras already being used in Philadelphia.

Noise-detecting cameras have drawn criticism over privacy concerns and the impacts of fines on low-income residents. They have already been deployed in the United Kingdom, Manhattan, Miami Beach, and other U.S. cities.

The initial contract’s goal was to prove that the efficacy of the cameras, and did not actually allow for automated ticketing to begin at the two locations along South Street where the cameras were installed. Instead, the language states that the PPA may later elect to directly contract with the vendor to start dinging loud cars with fines.

Squilla said the pilot program’s cameras have been up and running for months. If the new bill passes, the PPA plans to roll out enforcement with a three-month warning phase — with drivers initially receiving notices they’ve exceeded a decibel limit — before tickets are eventually issued. He said that a trend of concealed or fake license plates had been an obstacle, but testing had produced numerous valid hits.

“The majority are people with plates. Many are non-PA tag holders,” he said.

Squilla added that Council could explore expanding the program to other locations if enforcement along South Street is successful.