Fairfax County will pilot the use of automated sensors to detect excessively loud mufflers, with police planning to install the devices at two locations as soon as January, Supervisor Walter Alcorn said in his weekly newsletter.
The 90-day pilot, allowed under a new state law, will run through March. Sensors will be installed at Westpark Drive and Jones Branch Drive in Tysons, and at Richmond Highway and Lockheed Boulevard in Hybla Valley. State law defines noisy exhaust systems as those exceeding 95 A-weighted decibels — louder than typical city traffic and equivalent to the sound of a lawn mower.
Alcorn said his office has received many complaints over the past few years about loud mufflers, and that the new technology may help address the problem. While police wrote over 1,000 noise tickets last year, he said, the sensors may make enforcement even more effective.
Under the law, fines may be up to $100. Because violations are a civil penalty, they will not be reported to the DMV or a driver's insurance company. Every violation detected by the sensors will be reviewed by an active Fairfax County Police officer before a ticket is issued.
The police will install sensors from Blue Line Solutions. The system uses five microphones, two high-resolution cameras and LIDAR technology, and takes both photos and videos. State law says the data may only be used for enforcing loud muffler violations and must be purged 60 days after a fine has been paid. The county must certify annually to the state that it is following this policy, and Blue Line faces a $1,000 fine per improper disclosure or use of the data.
In other news, Alcorn said he joined Gerry Connolly's family on Saturday to unveil new signs honoring the late congressman along the Connolly Cross County Trail. The 41.5-mile trail, completed in 2005, spans from the Potomac River at Great Falls to the Occoquan River at Lorton and was named in his honor.
A community meeting on the West of Wiehle Study will be held Monday, Oct. 5, from 7-9 p.m. at Langston Hughes Middle School in Reston to discuss proposed Comprehensive Plan changes for a 58-acre site near the Wiehle Metro Station. Car taxes are due Monday, Oct. 5, and Alcorn noted the county has installed self-service kiosks to pay personal property taxes at the North County Governmental Center and three other county government centers.