Project identifies best measures to address transport noise pollution

Long-term exposure to environmental noise from transport can lead to significant health complications. Indeed, the European Environment Agency has estimated that 109 million people in the EU-28 were exposed to road traffic noise levels of 55 dB Lden and higher, levels which are potentially damaging to human health.

Given the number of exposed citizens in the EU, and the growth of traffic, infrastructure and the dwellings affected by these, further intervention is required to mitigate the impacts of environmental noise in the short and medium term. The Phenomena project aimed to address this concern, by identifying and assessing measures to reduce the detrimental effect of transport noise on health. The project has now released its findings.

Through a combination of policy research, consultation, health economics and environmental assessment, the project identified 23 individual policy options covering rail, road transport and aviation. These were established, in part, by exploring some of the outcomes of a variety of projects. Indeed, noise abatement measures proposed by CityHush, a project providing municipalities with tools to establish noise maps and action plans, and SILENCE, which established Local Noise Action Plans, provided key insights and tools for Phenomena’s final report.

Individual solutions for road traffic, rail and aviation were identified and analysed for their costs and benefits. For road traffic, tighter vehicle noise limits and increased electrification, together with national actions, including speed reduction and access restrictions, were identified as being particularly beneficial, along with more noise insulation for the dwellings affected. Meanwhile to reduce the acoustic impact of railways, new track design and electrification options (such as those demonstrated in Grenoble Metropole) were recommended.

However, the report warns against the implementation of more superficial - yet expensive - measures, such as noise barriers, unless these are integrated into the landscape or buildings.

Article published first on POLIS Network on 8 September 2021.