Under the impetus of Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, the City of Paris has decided to fight more effectively against road traffic noise pollution, in particular horns and sirens. To this end, the Paris City Council has allocated a budget of 20,000 euros to finance a new study of the noise impact on the capital.
This initiative by the City of Paris follows a pioneering study carried out in 2022 by Bruitparif at Porte d'Asnières (XVIIᵉ arrondissement), which revealed that sirens accounted for between 42 and 50% of ambient noise, with police sirens predominating (72%) and horns only 10%.
The new study by the City of Paris calls for acoustic sensors to be installed in four areas particularly affected by noise nuisance from horns: the boulevards de Montparnasse (5ᵉ), de Port-Royal (6ᵉ), Saint-Marcel (13ᵉ) and de l'Hôpital (14ᵉ). These sectors, located close to numerous hospitals and ministries, are regularly used by emergency vehicles and official convoys, which would explain the noise nuisance associated with sirens.
The study launched by the City of Paris is due to start in the summer of 2025 and run until the end of the year. It will assess the impact of horn and siren noise in Paris, with a view to implementing appropriate measures to reduce noise pollution.
