New York City has a citizen air complaint program

by Daniel Fink, MD, Chair, The Quiet Coalition

Photo credit: Jill Evans

The American Journal of Public Health announced the publication of an article describing the Citizens Air Complaint Program in New York City. The New York City Department of Environmental Protection webpage about this program describes the details. Citizens can report vehicles idling beyond permissible times. The person filing the complaint gets to keep 25% of the fine.

Most crowd-sourced environmental data collection initiatives are voluntary. These include reporting leaf blower use in Santa Monica, California through its 311 system, or the collection of restaurant noise measurements by SoundPrint. I like the idea of rewarding those who take the time and make the effort to report an environmental problem.

Why am I writing about air pollution on a blog devoted to noise? As I have written before, transportation noise pollution is the unwanted auditory accompaniment to gaseous and particulate air pollution produced by internal combustion engines of all types. The electrification of vehicles helps both quiet and clean the air. In 2024, approximately one fourth of all new vehicles registered in California were electric vehicles. At the world’s largest air show, The Paris Air Show, a number of electric planes were displayed. These may be flying commercially as early as next year.

The adverse health effects of air pollution are well-documented. According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, these impacts include lung problems, premature birth and increased rates of dementia. The adverse health effects of noise pollution — such as increased rates of hypertension, cardiovascular disease and death — are also well-documented.

I hope New York City’s Citizens Air Complaint Program is reproduced in other cities and states, and that these efforts make the air cleaner and quieter. A quieter world with cleaner air will be a better and healthier world for all.