hackertube.io

Cities Aren't Loud: Cars Are Loud

Not Just Bikes · explainer · Watch on YouTube

Transit, cities & urban planningCars, EVs & motorcycles

What it is

Not Just Bikes argues that urban noise comes mostly from motor vehicles, drawing on the book Curbing Traffic and a visit to Delft, a city that takes noise seriously.

Why Hacker News recommends it

HN cites it constantly in threads on noise, EVs and car-free cities as the source that cars, not cities, are loud.

  • 10 people recommended it
  • 9 different months
  • 2 strong recommendations
  • first 2021, last 2025

What HN commenters said

  1. “Fantastic video with that very name exploring just how true this is”

    Explores how true it is that cars are the noise source

    shmageggy, 2022-02 · Strong recommendation · in “New York is using cameras with microphones to ticket loud cars”

  2. “They're very solid.”

    Solid points despite snarky tone

    oblio, 2025-12 · Strong recommendation · in “Accepting US car standards would risk European lives”

  3. “this video provides some nice context”

    Context on cities taking noise seriously

    ryukafalz, 2021-12 · Recommendation · in “The Sound of Silence: A Noise Map of the U.S.”

  4. “NotJustBikes does a great video on this”

    Explains that cars, not cities, cause urban noise

    CalRobert, 2021-12 · Recommendation · in “The Sound of Silence: A Noise Map of the U.S.”

  5. “A video specifically about noise pollution and how European cities are trying to solve it”

    How European cities tackle noise pollution

    seer, 2022-04 · Recommendation · in “Sounding the alarm: How noise hurts the heart (2021)”

  6. “Most of the noise in cities comes from cars, that is a fact.”

    Shows dense cities can be quiet; cars cause the noise

    cardanome, 2022-07 · Recommendation · in “ESG should be boiled down to one simple measure: emissions”

  7. “Cities aren't loud; motor vehicles are.”

    Addendum on motor vehicles as main urban noise source

    ThatGeoGuy, 2023-04 · Recommendation · in “Harvard: The Effects of Noise on Health”

  8. “pretty astounding if you've never really considered it”

    Astounding look at vehicle noise, including mopeds

    masklinn, 2023-08 · Recommendation · in “Amsterdam to use “noise cameras” against too loud cars”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: car noise, urban planning, netherlands, electric vehicles, walkable cities

Also recommended by the same people