MORE THAN CARS
Still, this is not just a story about cars. The rise in compliance began before the EV boom started in 2020. Another reason is simply that the deafening roar of construction has subsided. The once-frenzied pace of Chinese urban development slowed sharply and, in many places, ground to a halt after the property crisis of 2021.
In the past, visitors would marvel at how skylines changed with every trip. Today, it is remarkable how little cities like Beijing and Shanghai are changing.
Meanwhile, city planners have been quietly working to dampen the din. Last year, China laid 32 million sq m of noise-reducing road surfaces and installed 833,000m of sound barriers. Local governments have rolled out no-honking zones, barred heavy-duty trucks from city centres and set up noise-monitoring devices in parks that alert officials to overly rowdy activity.
As city traffic grows quieter, another irritant has become harder to ignore: other people. China recorded close to six million noise complaints last year, with 71 per cent linked to “social activities” – shouting, music and noisy neighbours.
But even here, officials are taking action. Noisy bars and clubs have been closed down or relocated. Jiangxi government last year launched what they pithily described as a “Joint Law Enforcement Campaign to Control Noise Pollution from KTV Venues”, fining venues if their patrons’ wailing could be heard from the streets.
After years of being woken up by noisy drivers, I have developed a world-class collection of earplugs, optimised for maximum noise cancellation. I still use them on my travels. But when I’m at home, they stay in the drawer.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/china-ev-noise-pollution-complaint-construction-traffic-5488951
