Assessment and relative sustainability of common types of roadside noise barriers

Abstract

There is increasing legislative and public pressure for the design and build of road infrastructure schemes to achieve better sustainability performance. Roadside noise barriers (RNBs) form a major part of the growing road infrastructure system in mitigating undesirable road noise to impacted communities. However, the relative sustainability of common RNBs is little understood in the research and industry literature. This makes it difficult for stakeholders to make informed decisions with regards to the sustainable design and procurement of RNBs. This paper presents nowel research carried out to assess and rank the relative sustainability of 13 RNB types using three multi criteria analysis (MCA) techniques, i.e. Simple Additive Weighting (SAW), Preference Ranking Organisation MeTHod for Enrichment Evaluations (PROMETHEE), and Elimination et Choice Translating Reality (ELECTRE III). The paper concludes that the presented sustainability rankings of the main RNB types from least sustainable to most sustainable will support the relevant stakeholders, involved in the planning, design, and procurement stages, to evaluate the sustainability of RNB options as either part of a large highways scheme or standalone project. The presented results will save significant analysis time and costs in cases whereby it is unfeasible to conduct MCAs. The presented sustainability asssessment methodology may also provide the basis for an industry sustainability certification sceheme and in turn support advancing the sustainability transport agenda.

Analysis of the Relative Sustainability of Land Devoted to Bioenergy: Comparing Land-Use Alternatives in China

“…The engagement of the stakeholders in MCA methods is a practical approach in collecting data measuring sustainability. For example, two recent studies assess the sustainability of electrokinetic bioremediation and the sustainability of common types of roadside noise barriers by involving the support of stakeholders [40,41]. The survey uses the Likert scale for grading, with the score ranging from −3 to 3, representing from not sustainable to sustainable.…”

Long-Term Sustainability Approach in Road Traffic Noise Wall Design

“…The noise wall exploitation behavior, repair, and/or replacement frequency of aged or deteriorated wall panels became an important issue in the last decade. However, despite the long-term experience in the application of noise walls (and research on the sustainability of noise barriers as well as other noise abatement measures [32][33][34][35][36]), when deciding on the panel material to be used in the design phase, designers still encounter numerous uncertainties associated with the exploitation behavior of noise walls constructed with panels made from different materials [37], including their stability, durability, and resistance to fire, impacts, and atmospheric influences. The main question is how the imminent degradation of panels will affect the efficiency of the wall structure, its life-cycle costs, and its long-term sustainability in specific locations and conditions.…”

From Idea to New Technology in Road Noise Protection

“…The noise wall exploitation behavior, repair, and/or replacement frequency of aged or deteriorated wall panels became an important issue in the last decade. However, despite the long-term experience in the application of noise walls (and research on the sustainability of noise barriers as well as other noise abatement measures [3][4][5][6][7]), when deciding on the panel material to be used in the design phase, designers still encounter numerous uncertainties associated with the exploitation behavior of noise walls constructed with panels made from different materials [8], including their stability, durability, and resistance to fire, impacts, and atmospheric influences. The main question is how the imminent degradation of panels will affect the efficiency of the wall structure, its life-cycle costs, and its long-term sustainability in specific locations and conditions [9].…”