Longitudinal surveys on effects of changes in road traffic noise—annoyance, activity disturbances, and psycho-social well-being

2004 ◽  
Vol 115 (2) ◽  
pp. 719-729 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evy Öhrström
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 8328
Author(s):  
Massimiliano Masullo ◽  
Luigi Maffei ◽  
Aniello Pascale ◽  
Vincenzo Paolo Senese ◽  
Simona De Stefano ◽  
...  

Road traffic noise is responsible for several negative health effects for citizens in modern cities. Inside urban parks, which citizens use for social inclusion and cohesion, psychological and physical restoration, and physical activities, road traffic noise may significantly reduce the potential of these places to induce or enhance well-being. Although access restriction schemes and screens could be effective solutions to limit noise inside urban park areas, preserving their potential regenerative role may engender mobility, social, aesthetic, and architectural issues. Due to the positive effects that natural elements and water sounds can have on human perception, and based on the previous findings of the beneficial effects of audio-visual installations, this paper investigates the possibility of using audio-visual installations that simply evoke some natural features to improve the restoration of individuals inside urban parks. The study has been carried out using immersive virtual environments in two different experimental laboratory sessions in Hong Kong (China) and Aversa (Italy). The results showed that the positive effects provided by evocative installations were similar to those provided by traditional installations. Furthermore, the effects on the restoration increased as the installations became larger and included enveloping shapes. Furthermore, we found that the amount of evocative water installations’ material was responsible for changes in restoration. In contrast, the Chinese groups were less influenced by these installations.


Author(s):  
Jan Felcyn

Abstract Purpose Road traffic noise is the most common source of noise in modern cities. The noise indicators used to manage noise do not take into account its temporal structure. However, in cities the traffic flow varies during the day, peaking due to congestion and more fluent periods. In this research we sought to analyze how people (giving answers on a numerical ICBEN scale) perceive noise stimuli with the same LAeqT values but different time structures (more/less noise events, different amplitude envelopes). Methods 31 people with normal hearing took part in an experiment conducted in an anechoic chamber. Participants listened to 18 different noise recordings and rated each of them using the numerical ICBEN scale regarding noise annoyance. Results The results showed that only sound level was a statistically significant factor. However, based on people’s remarks about noise, we can also say that the more intermittent the noise is, the more negative feelings it evokes in people. Conclusions Time structure does not have a significant influence on people’s judgments about noise annoyance. However, people tend to have a preference for a steady noise rather than an intermittent one.


2010 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Dratva ◽  
Elisabeth Zemp ◽  
Denise Felber Dietrich ◽  
Pierre-Olivier Bridevaux ◽  
Thierry Rochat ◽  
...  

Noise can be defined as an undesirable sound that pollutes the environment. If noise is continuous and exceeds certain levels, negative effects on health can be observed. In recent years, the impact of environmental noise (road traffic noise, railway traffic noise, air traffic noise and industrial noise) on human health has come under increasingly intense scrutiny. Noise can cause a number of negative effects on health that directly or indirectly affect humans. The occurrence of some certain and harmful health effects drives the onset of others and may contribute to the development of various diseases. Health is not only a state of physical well-being, but also mental well-being. Mental health primarily depends on the quality of life, which can be affected by various environmental factors, such as noise. An important aspect of fighting noise is the most effective protection of the population by avoiding sources of noise and reducing it. This can be achieved by introducing new technical solutions and new technologies, including devices that generate less noise. Another important measure is educating the society and influencing the change of individual and collective behavior, which may contribute to reducing the harmful factor, which is noise in human life, and minimize the resulting negative effects on health.


2020 ◽  
Vol 168 ◽  
pp. 107412
Author(s):  
Ines Bouzid ◽  
Ahmed Derbel ◽  
Boubaker Elleuch

Author(s):  
Lechner ◽  
Schnaiter ◽  
Bose-O’Reilly

Noise legislation in Austria does not provide an assessment of the cumulative effect of noise from different sources. The desire of citizens for a total noise assessment is getting stronger. Within the pilot project “Gesamtlärmbetrachtung” (Total Noise Investigation) Innsbruck, data from 1031 face-to-face interviews were correlated with exposure data from road, rail and air traffic noise. The interviews were selected in clusters according to the exposure combinations of these three sources. In addition to exposure-response relationships, it has also been found that the annoyance response to air and rail traffic noise is independent of the background noise from road traffic. The total noise annoyance response shows a cumulative effect in each source considered. From the source specific exposure-response relationships, a total noise assessment model based on the annoyance equivalents model was developed. This model is more suitable than the dominant source model and thus also considerable for legal application.


2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 377-379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie Riedel ◽  
Heike Köckler ◽  
Joachim Scheiner ◽  
Irene van Kamp ◽  
Raimund Erbel ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Argalasova ◽  
T. Kimakova ◽  
E. Panulinova ◽  
A. Filova ◽  
A. Pultznerova ◽  
...  

Abstract The significant growth in traffic density in Slovakia, combined with the country’s economic change, has resulted in new environmental noise issues, particularly in road traffic noise. The objective of this study was to assess and evaluate the impact of environmental noise on the psychosocial well-being of young healthy individuals in the two main Slovak cities of Bratislava and Kosice. To assess noise annoyance, interference with activities, and sleep disturbance, the ICBEN (The International Commission on the Biological Effects of Noise) anonymous validated “Noise annoyance questionnaire” was applied; noise levels were objectified by direct measurements using a sound level analyzer with a frequency analysis module. Young individuals between the ages of 20 and 30 were interviewed in Bratislava (533 respondents, 155 males) and Kosice (355 respondents, 111 males). The majority of the respondents in both cities were exposed to medium levels of road traffic noise LAeq ≥ 60 dB. In Bratislava, 27.82 % of respondents resided in the higher noise exposure category LAeq ≥ 70 dB, while in Kosice, 39.9 % resided in the lower noise exposure category LAeq < 50 dB. Road traffic noise annoys respondents in the higher noise exposure category in Bratislava 63.51 %, and even in the lower noise exposure category in Kosice, it interferes with reading and mental work, sleep and falling asleep 46.51 %. The study has identified traffic noise as an environmental issue in large cities, emphasizing the need for vulnerable individuals to be protected, particularly at night.


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