Amazon's Drone Delivery Plan Stalled: Noise Concerns Spark Resident Protests

Amazon's Drone Delivery Plan Stalled: Noise Concerns Spark Resident ProtestsAmazon's drone delivery project, once viewed as a futuristic fantasy, is facing a stark reality as the e-commerce giant seeks to expand its operations: the noise generated by the drones.Drones are generally known for being noisy, an issue that has become particularly prominent in Amazon's delivery program

Amazon's Drone Delivery Plan Stalled: Noise Concerns Spark Resident Protests

Amazon's drone delivery project, once viewed as a futuristic fantasy, is facing a stark reality as the e-commerce giant seeks to expand its operations: the noise generated by the drones.

Drones are generally known for being noisy, an issue that has become particularly prominent in Amazon's delivery program. Some residents who have experienced drone interference lament that their peaceful beach trips have been disrupted by the din. Moreover, residents in Australia have voiced their dissatisfaction with the noise produced by drones used by Alphabet's Wing company to deliver food in the area for years. In Nepal, locals have complained that the drones planned to be used by the Sherpas to clean up Mount Everest litter sound like "a swarm of bees."

In College Station, Texas, where Amazon is conducting drone delivery trials, John Case, an orthodontist, recently told the media that the Amazon delivery drones he encounters "sound like a giant beehive." "You can tell when it's coming because it's so loud," Case said.

Reports indicate that Amazon is seeking approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to expand its drone delivery operations from College Station to Tolleson, Arizona. A noise level test conducted by Bryan Woods, City Manager of College Station, revealed that Amazon's drones have noise levels between 47 and 61 decibels. According to data from Yale University's Department of Environmental Health and Safety, these noise levels are comparable to those found in suburban nighttime environments, household refrigerators, or commercial offices.

However, despite the noise levels being comparable to everyday ambient noise, residents remain concerned about the drone noise. In May, Amazon submitted a proposal to the FAA seeking to increase the number of drone deliveries in College Station from 200 per day to 469. Shortly after, John Nichols, the Mayor of College Station, pointed out in a letter that residents were already unhappy with the noise. "Since the Amazon PrimeAir facility arrived in College Station, residents in nearby communities have raised concerns with the City Council about the noise level of the drones during takeoff, landing, and some delivery operations," Nichols wrote in the letter.

Amazon and Nichols have not responded to requests for comment. In a statement, Amazon said that "we are proud to have completed thousands of deliveries, serving hundreds of customers, through our PrimeAir drone program." The statement also said, "We appreciate the feedback from the College Station community and will make every effort to take local community concerns into account when making PrimeAir operational decisions."

As Amazon's drone delivery program expands, the issue of noise is gaining more attention. Balancing the convenience brought by drone delivery with noise pollution will become a significant challenge for Amazon's future development.