Noise Impact on Inhabitants in Residential Areas under Various AntiNoise Measures

Abstract

The sound environment is an inseparable part of the living environment. Noise is generally considered to be any sound or sounds which are undesirable, disturbing or harmful to people. Road transport has been the dominant source of noise in the environment for a number of years. Traffic noise modelling is used particularly for assessing the acoustic situation in the vicinity of roads, the identification of noise impact on population, designing anti-noise measures, strategic noise mapping, and action plans. Regarding noise impact within the assessment of sustainable transport development, the programme SoundPLAN assessed different types of noise impact on inhabitants in residential areas through the use of alternatives such as the reduction of vehicle speed, construction of anti-noise barriers, installation of low-noise road surface, and various combinations of these. For the production of noise maps, input data was combined with geographic data or map materials respectively, data on buildings, roads, inhabitants, and traffic data. The article presents the results of calculations of equivalent levels of acoustic pressure together with the division of impact on population into individual zones. Calculations are simulated on a terrain model of a part of the residential area surrounded by a busy trunk road and for the daytime. The residential area consists of detached houses and blocks of flats with a maximum height of 5 floors with the usual community amenities-garages, small shops, etc. Therefore, the application of simulated anti-noise measures may lead to a reduction of the negative impacts on the environment as well as on human health.