scholarly journals Treatment of road traffic noise in EU countries with a focus on Directive 2002/49/EC

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 54-58
Author(s):  
Adnan Omerhodžić ◽  
Samir Džaferović
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Traffic Noise ◽  
Progressive Increase ◽  
Population Exposure ◽  
Road Traffic Noise ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Continuous Increase ◽  
Eu Countries ◽  
The Impact

The trend of continuous increase for mobility requirements results in a progressive increase in the use of vehicles of all modes of transport, which contributes to a significant increase in noise levels, especially in urban areas. The most significant noise in urban areas is traffic noise, where road traffic contributes the most. This paper reviews the treatment of road traffic noise in the European Union with a focus on Directive 2002/49 / EC. The paper presents the basics of the mechanisms of the institutional and management framework in the field of road traffic noise monitoring in EU countries. Also, the results of road traffic noise monitoring in EU countries, indicators of population exposure to road traffic noise, as well as indicators of the impact of road traffic noise on the health of the population, were presented.

scholarly journals Noise Events Monitoring for Urban and Mobility Planning in Andorra la Vella and Escaldes-Engordany

Environments ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosa Alsina-Pagès ◽  
Robert Garcia Almazán ◽  
Marc Vilella ◽  
Marc Pons
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Traffic Noise ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Noise Pollution ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Road Traffic Noise ◽  
City Life ◽  
The Impact

Noise pollution is a critical factor and it has an important impact on public health, with the relationship between road traffic noise (RTN) and several illnesses in urban areas of particular concern. Andorra is currently developing a national strategy regarding noise pollution in their urban environments. The Ministry of Environment, Agriculture and Sustainability is trying to to identify, monitor, map and model the effects of noise pollution and design mitigation policies to reduce the impact in certain priority areas. This analysis should take into account the existence of different types of anomalous noise events (ANEs) present in the street, e.g., horns, people talking, music, and other events that coexist with RTN, to characterize the soundscape of each of the locations. This paper presents a preliminary analysis considering both the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) and the duration of the ANEs to evaluate their presence in urban areas in the three different locations in Andorra la Vella and Escaldes-Engordany. The experiments conducted required a 10-h recording campaign distributed in the three locations under study, which was evaluated on two different days, one during the week and the other on the weekend. Afterwards, the data were carefully labeled and the SNR of each event was evaluated to determine the potential impact of the four categories under study: vehicles, works, city life and people.

scholarly journals The Influence of Pavement Degradation on Population Exposure to Road Traffic Noise

Coatings ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabete Freitas ◽  
Lígia Silva ◽  
Cedric Vuye
Keyword(s):  
Road Traffic ◽  
Traffic Noise ◽  
Environmental Noise ◽  
Population Exposure ◽  
Road Traffic Noise ◽  
Road Noise ◽  
Pavement Maintenance ◽  
Road Pavement ◽  
Single Vehicle ◽  
The Impact

Road pavement develops distresses over time, which increase tyre/road noise. This work focuses on the impact of these distresses on environmental noise. To calculate the environmental noise, a method to transform Close ProXimity (CPX) measurement results into the required input for traffic noise models was defined and used. The tyre/road noise levels were determined by the CPX method for three types of pavement, with three types of distress, at three different speed levels. The study was carried out in the city center of Guimarães, a medium-sized Portuguese city. Using the NMPB model, 18 noise maps were produced for the passing of one single vehicle, taking into account two levels of distress (50% and 100%) for the pavement. The presence of distresses increased the noise, calculated at control points, by up to 7.1 dBA, and the percentage of the population exposed to levels over 45 dB was more than 11%. It was shown that pavement maintenance at early stages of distress development is, particularly for low-speed roads, very important to reduce environmental noise and population exposure. A comprehensive selection of the type of surface and speed control policies can mitigate the impact of a lack of maintenance.

scholarly journals Environmental noise, its types and effects on health

2021 ◽  
pp. 41-48
Keyword(s):  
New Technologies ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Traffic Noise ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Environmental Noise ◽  
Road Traffic Noise ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Railway Traffic ◽  
The Impact

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.

Studies on the Impact of Road Traffic Noise inside Selected Schools of Tiruchirappalli City, Tamilnadu, India

2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (11) ◽  
pp. 19-27
Author(s):  
Someswara Rao Nittala ◽  
Lalitha Mallikarjun ◽  
V Bhanumathy ◽  
Pattabi Rama ◽  
Krishna Lagudu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Road Traffic ◽  
Traffic Noise ◽  
Road Traffic Noise ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals Sleep Disturbance and Noise Annoyance and Environmental Noise Exposure in Residents of Two Major Slovakian Cities

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Argalasova ◽  
T. Kimakova ◽  
E. Panulinova ◽  
A. Filova ◽  
A. Pultznerova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sleep Disturbance ◽  
Noise Exposure ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Traffic Noise ◽  
Environmental Noise ◽  
Road Traffic Noise ◽  
Noise Annoyance ◽  
Exposure Category ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Lower Noise

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.

scholarly journals The Impact of Thin Asphalt Layers as a Road Traffic Noise Intervention in an Urban Environment

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 12561
Author(s):  
Ablenya Grangeiro de Barros ◽  
Jarl K. Kampen ◽  
Cedric Vuye
Keyword(s):  
Noise Exposure ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Traffic Noise ◽  
Low Noise ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Comfort Level ◽  
Road Traffic Noise ◽  
Acoustic Measurements ◽  
Noise Levels ◽  
The Impact

Low-noise thin asphalt layers (TALs) are a feasible solution to mitigate road traffic noise in urban environments. Nevertheless, the impacts of this type of noise intervention are reported mostly regarding noise levels, while non-acoustic aspects influencing the population perception are still little-known. This study investigates the implementation of TALs in two streets of Antwerp, Belgium. The effectiveness of the intervention was measured via noise modelling and acoustic measurements of road traffic noise. A reduction of 2.8 dB in noise exposure was observed in Lden and Lnight, while SPB measurements showed decreases up to 5.2 dB on the roadside. The subjective impacts of the TALs were evaluated via self-administered surveys and compared to results from control streets. The annoyance indicators were positively impacted by the TALs implementation, resulting in annoyance levels similar or lower than in the control streets. The TALs did not impact the reported physical complaints, sleep quality, and comfort level to perform activities.

Creation of Theoretical Road Traffic Noise Model with the Help of GIS

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kinga Szopinska
Keyword(s):  
Urban Space ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Traffic Noise ◽  
Noise Model ◽  
Road Traffic Noise ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Noise Emission ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Information Layer ◽  
Gis Data

Road traffic noise, as a form of environmental pollution, is an important element causing discomfort among inhabitants and leading to the emergence of noise nuisance influencing the shaping of urban space. The basic tool in combating noise is a Strategic Noise Map (SNM), which, understood as a system, constitutes an element of a city’s information layer. The system, illustrating the noise situation within a city, is prepared by means of a calculationmeasurement method using specialized computer programs. The assessment of road traffic noise begins by defining the amount of noise emissions coming from acoustically-homogenous sections (emission map), and ends with determining the extent of noise propagation in urban space (immission map). The above process is based on the analysis of actual input data describing, in a detailed manner, the analyzed road infrastructure in terms of the characteristics of the road section, information on the volume and type of traffic, and data on the organization of traffic. Under such extensive analysis of the condition of the environment, it is appropriate to apply GIS data as a methodological basis for creating SNMs. GIS data make it possible to unify the rules for collecting and archiving values characterizing the condition of the environment, as well as parameters influencing the level of noise. The aim of work is create a theoretical road traffic noise model with the help of GIS. The scope of information in attribute tables of acoustically-homogenous road sections comprising a GIS thematic layer was described in detail. The above information are the basis for generating digital road traffic noise emission maps as well as being the starting point for assessing road traffic noise in the area of a city in the form of immission maps. The article additionally analyzes the results of data derived from the first phase of noise mapping in Europe, as well as familiarizing the reader with the procedure of modelling road traffic noise emission in accordance with the CNOSSOS-EU which will become binding as of 31 December 2018 throughout the European Union, and which was introduced by the provisions of the new noise directive – Directive 2015/996 of 19 May 2015.

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