Overview
FrançaisABSTRACT
Surveys carried out in France report that one third of the French urban population is disturbed by traffic noise. This noise, emitted by various sources such as airplanes, railways, highway traffic, urban ring roads and urban traffic, remains high, and problems persist despite efforts made by public authorities. This article deals with exposure to noise, its perception and impact, and tools and methods for assessing sound level, together with regulation, taken as an initial means to address the issues of traffic noise. To conclude, the costs and benefits of noise abatement are assessed.
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Read the articleAUTHORS
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Jacques LAMBERT: Research Director, retired from IFSTTAR (Bron, France)
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Michel VALLET: Research Director, AEDIFICE (Lyon, France)
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Bruno VINCENT: Director, Acoucité (Lyon, France)
INTRODUCTION
The development of various modes of transport since the 1960s has given rise to environmental concerns linked to urban traffic, motorway and ring road traffic, airports and high-speed rail lines. Since then, interest has shifted from one source to another, showing that the problems are permanent, despite the efforts of public authorities. Research and regulation have focused on the physical aspects of noise, from the overall average or energetic level, to the peaks of identifiable events, to the acoustic frequencies of sound environments. Noise in the city affects the largest number of people, but has been considered more or less unavoidable since time immemorial.
According to the national survey on environmental nuisances from transport conducted by INRETS in 2005, following on from that carried out by INSEE, 28% of the population living in France consider noise to be the main environmental problem linked to transport, in particular because of its impact on quality of life and the living environment, and to a lesser extent because of its effects on health. At home, transport noise is perceived by 60% of the population, whether in a single-exposure situation (most often road noise) or in a multiple-exposure situation (mainly road noise combined with aircraft noise). Transport noise is a major source of annoyance for 33.7% of the population: 30% due to road traffic, 6.6% due to air traffic, and only 2.2% due to rail traffic (i.e. 5.1% of people annoyed by several sources of noise). Its negative effects are mainly disturbance of moments of relaxation and rest (1 in 8 people) and sleep disturbance (1 in 12 people).
As for the latest IFOP survey on the subject in 2014, it shows that at home, road traffic noise is considered the cause of annoyance by 32% of French people, but only 4.3% for aircraft noise and 3.4% for rail traffic noise.
Noise can also be addressed as an element of housing satisfaction; a 2017 Ipsos survey of 2,700 people, carried out for the Qualitel label, highlights the role of acoustic insulation in housing in the quality of life felt by residents. Deficient insulation was reported by 30% of the sample, coming after thermal insulation (32%) and related energy consumption (32%). A similar survey conducted by INSEE (2016-2017) produces lower figures, noting however that transport noise is a source of the same order of importance as neighborhood noise, especially in collective housing and at night.
When these noise nuisances first appeared (1960-70), the engineers who designed the suburban expressways didn't understand the opposition of local residents, who went so far as to set fire to a tire barrier on the southern exit from Paris. In cities, noise levels seem to level off, and do not increase during...
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KEYWORDS
noise | Regulation | transportation | impact
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Bibliography
Websites
Further information can be found on the following websites:
CIDB (Centre d'information et de documentation sur le bruit) : http://www.bruit.fr
ADEME (French Environment and Energy Management Agency) : http://www.ademe.fr
EEA...
Standards and norms
- Environmental noise characterization and measurement – Fundamental quantities and general valuation methods - NF S 31-110 - 2005
- Characterization and measurement of road traffic noise – General measurement specifications - NF S 31-085 - 2002
- Acoustics – Characterization and measurement of rail traffic noise - NF S 31-088 - 2014
- Measuring noise from accelerating road vehicles – Valuation method...
Regulations
Council Directive 70/157/EEC of February 6, 1970 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the permissible sound level and the exhaust system of motor vehicles (OJ No. L 042 of February 23, 1970).
Law no. 76-629 of July 10, 1976 on nature protection (consolidated version as of September 21, 2000).
Council Directive 78/1015/EEC of November 23, 1978 on...
Noise exposure data
In the mid-1980s, almost half the French population was exposed to an outdoor daytime noise level of over 55 dB(A). At the same time, 28% of the population was exposed to a level above the threshold recommended by the 1992 Noise Act (table 1 ).
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