Miljøtema, 25 – Roads to Healthier Traffic – Roads to less traffic noise

Traffic planning is an important tool in efforts to reduce noise from traffic. Speed limits for roads may reduce the level of noise in cities. Noise in urban areas can also be reduced by by-passes and traffic calming measures, in order to keep traffic out of residential areas.

New EU Noise Directive

In accordance with the new EU Directive on environmental noise (the Noise Directive), surveys must be made of noise from roads, railways, airports and in large cities in Denmark. Strategic noise maps and action plans must be drawn up, and the public must be involved in this work. Mapping will be made for the first time in 2007-2008, and afterwards every five years. The Directive will be transposed into Danish law in 2004.

The Directive aims at mapping noise in all Member States, on the basis of common measurement methods. A survey will be made of noise problems in Member States. Today there are no uniform methods to determine the extent of noise problems in individual EU Member States.

More information on the Noise Directive is available on the Danish EPA website: http://www.mst.dk/transportuk/02040000.htm

New asphalt reduces noise

Danish and international experience shows that special road surfaces may reduce traffic noise. Several types are available. High-drain asphalt reduces noise efficiently, but maintenance of this type of paving is rather expensive. The new noise-reducing thin-layer pavement does not reduce noise quite as much, but, on the other hand, it is expected to be only slightly more expensive than conventional paving, and is equally durable.

Many of the dwellings exposed to noise are located along streets in urban areas. In a study in 1999, testing different road surfaces, three types of drain asphalt was tested in the Copenhagen street Øster Søgade, where the speed limit is 50 km/h, and the average number of cars per day is approx. 7,000, of which almost 10 per cent are busses or trucks. The new paving reduced noise by 4-6 dB when it was new, and by 4 dB after one year, compared to conventional asphalt pavement.

Other tools

Strategy to reduce road noise

In the autumn of 2003 the Road Noise Committee set up by the Government submitted a noise strategy, presenting a range of possible measures to reduce the number of noise-affected dwellings. The road noise strategy gives an overview of the health-related impacts of road noise, and, further, a socio-economic assessment of various road-noise reducing instruments. The Government proposes that, over a number of years, approx. euro 13 million be reserved for noise-reducing measures along existing highways, for instance noise walls. Read more about the road noise strategy on the Danish EPA website (in Danish: www.mst.dk, in English: http://www.mst.dk/transportuk/02020100.htm )

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Photo: Scanpix