Assessment of Road Traffic Noise in Selected Urban Residential and Construction Areas

Abstract

The work presented in this paper includes a field investigation of road traffic noise between residential and construction areas in a selected urban area. The aim of this study was to assess the level of noise pollution from road traffic noise in Seri Kembangan, Selangor. Therefore, this study included measurements of traffic noise level, evaluation of the percentage traffic volume between residential and construction areas; and identification of the correlation between traffic volume and traffic noise level. An EXTECH 407764 sound level meter was used to take noise level measurements for 1 hour and 30 minutes in one-minute intervals at both study sites. The parameter collected in the noise level monitoring was average noise level (LAeq). The traffic volume study was conducted using manual counts for 30 minutes. Four types of vehicles were counted, namely cars, vans, motorcycles, and heavy vehicles. Based on statistical analysis, it can be concluded that both sites had high traffic noise levels which exceeded the maximum permissible limit of 60 dBA during daytime, according to Malaysian guidelines, due to several factors. The findings show that road infrastructure such as noise barriers need to be further implemented, especially in residential areas. Mitigation of noise pollution must be further carried out by contractors. Additionally, further investigations need to be conducted by the relevant authorities to reduce the level of noise which may affect the quality of life for the communities in the area.