Traffic noise abatement: How different pavements, vehicle speeds and traffic densities affect annoyance levels

In this paper, annoyance ratings from traffic noise recorded on cobblestones, dense asphalt, and open asphalt rubber pavements are assessed with regard to car speeds and traffic densities. It was found that cobblestones pavements are the most annoying; also while open asphalt rubber pavement imposes less annoyance than dense asphalt it is not significantly different. Higher car speeds always lead to greater annoyance, as does higher traffic densities. LAeq and LAmax correlate well with annoyance, but loudness is the best predictor. Roughness and sharpness exhibit inconsistent interactions.     

Urban road traffic noise spatiotemporal distribution mapping using multisource data

Many residents are disturbed by road traffic noise which needs to be controlled and managed. The noise map is a helpful and important tool for noise management and acoustical planning in urban areas. However, the static noise map is not sufficient for evaluating noise annoyance at different temporal periods. It is necessary to develop the dynamic noise map or the noise spatiotemporal distribution. In this study, a method about urban road traffic noise spatiotemporal distribution mapping is proposed to obtain the representative road traffic noise maps of different periods. This method relies on the proposed noise spatiotemporal distribution model with two time-dependent variables - traffic density and traffic speed, and the spatiotemporal characteristics derived from multisource data. There are three steps in the method. First, the urban road traffic noise spatiotemporal distribution model is derived from the law of sound propagation. Then, the temporal characteristics are extracted from traffic flow detecting data and E-map road segment speed data by the outlier detection analysis. Finally, the noise distributions corresponding to different periods are calculated by an efficient algorithm which can save 90% above of the computing time. Moreover, a validation experiment was conducted to evaluate the accuracy of the proposed method. There is only 2.26-dB[A] mean absolute error that is within an acceptable range, which shows that the method is effective.     

A traffic noise model for road intersections in the city of Cartagena de Indias,Colombia

Road traffic noise models are fundamental tools for designing and implementing appropriate prevention plans to minimize and control noise levels in urban areas. The objective of this study is to develop a traffic noise model to simulate the average equivalent sound pressure level at road intersections based on traffic flow and site characteristics, in the city of Cartagena de Indias (Cartagena), Colombia. Motorcycles are included as an additional vehicle category since they represent more than 30% of the total traffic flow and a distinctive source of noise that needs to be characterized. Noise measurements are collected using a sound level meter Type II. The data analysis leads to the development of noise maps and a general mathematical model for the city of Cartagena, Colombia, which correlates the sound levels as a function of vehicle flow within road intersections. The highest noise levels were 79.7 dB(A) for the road intersection María Auxiliadora during the week (business days) and 77.7 dB(A) for the road intersection India Catalina during weekends (non-business days). Although traffic and noise are naturally related, the intersections with higher vehicle flow did not have the highest noise levels. The roadway noise for these intersections in the city of Cartagena exceeds current limit standards. The roadway noise model is able to satisfactorily predict noise emissions for road intersections in the city of Cartagena, Colombia.     

A study of relationships between traffic noise and annoyance for different urban site typologies

The paper intends to analyse the different attitudes of residents in urban areas in regard to annoyance induced by traffic noise, account taken of the effects of the street configuration and of the presence of specific public transport modes in the definition of the dose-response curves.People’s annoyance was investigated through a campaign of noise and traffic measurements and an epidemiological survey, administered to a sample of 830 residents in the buildings close to the measurement points.An ordinal regression model taking into account environmental and urban characteristics was used to identify a dose-response relationship. The cumulative probabilities allowed to define two cut points on the dose-response curves (60 and 75 dB(A)), grouping people in three classes and making the representation of the dose-response relationships different from those traditionally defined that use only the percentage of highly annoyed people.The results show different people’s attitudes towards the annoyance in the urban sites while the dose-response relationship shows that the correlation between annoyance and noise is low. For the same value of day equivalent level, 10% more people are annoyed in L sections (broad streets) than in U sections (narrow streets). Furthermore, all the dose-response curves show a higher sensitivity of people living in L sections; this difference can be measured as a shift of about 4 dB(A). Noise levels are, arguably, a useful indicator, but they are not reliable enough to define the discomfort of the residents, while the site characteristics could shed light on annoyance variability.     

Integrated scheduling of m-truck,m-drone,and m-depot constrained by time-window,drop-pickup,and m-visit using constraint programming

The idea of deploying unmanned aerial vehicles, also known as drones, for final-mile delivery in logistics operations has vitalized this new research stream. One conceivable scenario of using a drone in conjunction with a traditional delivery truck to distribute parcels is discussed in earlier literature and termed the parallel drone scheduling traveling salesman problem (PDSTSP). This study extends the problem by considering two different types of drone tasks: drop and pickup. After a drone completes a drop, the drone can either fly back to depot to deliver the next parcels or fly directly to another customer for pickup. Integrated scheduling of multiple depots hosting a fleet of trucks and a fleet of drones is further studied to achieve an operational excellence. A vehicle that travels near the boundary of the coverage area might be more effective to serve customers that belong to the neighboring depot. This problem is uniquely modeled as an unrelated parallel machine scheduling with sequence dependent setup, precedence-relationship, and reentrant, which gives us a framework to effectively consider those operational challenges. A constraint programming approach is proposed and tested with problem instances of m-truck, m-drone, m-depot, and hundred-customer distributed across an 8-mile square region.     

城市道路交通噪声污染经济损失及评估

文章应用市场估值法、享乐价格法和意愿调查价值评估法对城市道路交通噪声经济损失的货币化进行分析,并以北京市为例,计算评估了城市道路交通噪声带来的经济损失。     

A methodology to control urban traffic noise under the constraint of environmental capacity: A case study of a double-decision optimization model

This paper presents a novel methodology to control urban traffic noise under the constraint of environmental capacity. Considering the upper limits of noise control zones as the major bottleneck to control the maximum traffic flow is a new idea. The urban road network traffic is the mutual or joint behavior of public self-selection and management decisions, so is a typical double decision optimization problem.The proposed methodology incorporates theoretically model specifications. Traffic noise calculation model and traffic assignment model for O–D matrix are integrated based on bi-level programming method which follows an iterated process to obtain the optimal solution. The upper level resolves the question of how to sustain the maximum traffic flow with noise capacity threshold in a feasible road network. The user equilibrium method is adopted in the lower layer to resolve the O–D traffic assignment.The methodology has been applied to study area of QingDao, China. In this illustrative case, the noise pollution level values of optimal solution could satisfy the urban environmental noise capacity constraints. Moreover, the optimal solution was intelligently adjusted rather than simply reducing the value below a certain threshold. The results indicate that the proposed methodology is feasible and effective, and it can provide a reference for a sustainable development and noise control management of the urban traffic.     

Estimation of the effects of aircraft noise on residential satisfaction

This study assesses the effects of aircraft noise on residential satisfaction, an important indicator of subjective well-being. A structural equation model is specified that estimates the relationships between objective variables, noise annoyance variables and residential satisfaction. Secondary data-analysis is used to estimate the model. The survey was conducted in 1996/1997 among the population living within a 25-km radius of Amsterdam Schiphol, the largest airport in the Netherlands. The effect of aircraft noise annoyance is found to be relatively small. In addition, the objective level of aircraft noise exposure is found to be a better predictor of residential satisfaction than its subjective counterpart. The most important determinants of residential satisfaction are found to be road traffic noise annoyance, age and neighbor noise annoyance.     

Options for reducing noise from roads and railway lines

The fundamental noise generation mechanisms of road and rail vehicles are discussed with attention to noise abatement measures. Based on an evaluation of publicly available tire noise data and the European road traffic noise emission model CNOSSOS, it is shown that on the road side there is a significant noise reduction potential in the usage of low-noise tires. From a three months measurement campaign a noise model was derived to predict the maximal sound pressure level of heavy duty vehicles during a pass-by in 7.5 m distance with the parameters vehicle speed and number of axles. With help of recently published information about external costs caused by heavy duty vehicles and the noise prediction tool, a model was developed to derive a money equivalent that can be used as a bonus/malus in a heavy duty vehicle fee. As a measure at the infrastructure, the installation of low-noise pavements is an effective, durable and economically attractive measure. Recent experiences with different technologies from all over the world are compiled and evaluated. On the rail side, an overview of the possible noise reduction strategies is given, followed by a discussion of the current policy and legislation in the EU and on the national level of different European countries.     

The cumulative effect of nuisances from road transportation in residential sectors on the Island of Montreal – Identification of the most exposed groups and areas

Air pollution and road traffic noise are considered to be the two most important nuisances that could negatively affect the quality of life. A prolonged exposure to high concentrations of these pollutants could conduct to various health problems. Studies in environmental equity have often considered these nuisances individually whenever it comes from the same source. The main objective of this paper is to determine if the 15 years of age, those aged 65 and over, visible minorities and low income individuals located in a portion of the Island of Montreal are overrepresented in city blocks characterized by having among the highest levels of transportation-related air pollutants (i.e., ambient concentrations of NO₂ and road traffic noise in decibels (dB(A)). The results show that low-income individuals and, to a lesser extent, visible minorities, are significantly overrepresented in city blocks characterized by the higher levels of NO₂ and road traffic noise in dB(A). Multinomial logistic regression analysis confirms these results, and also shows that young people under 15 years are under-represented in the most polluted areas. However, contrary to the previous bivariate results, people aged 65 and over are negatively and significantly associated with the likelihood of their living in a city block located in an advantaged area after controlling for the independent effects of the other explanatory variables. Moreover, visible minorities are significantly overrepresented in advantaged areas. Considering the observed results, some solutions are identified to reduce road traffic noise and air pollution in the city blocks localized near major traffic arteries.     

Traffic noise studies in a tropical environment

This paper reports upon a survey of traffic noise annoyance in three residential districts of Trinidad, West Indies. Householder perceptions were solicited by means of a questionnaire survey and direct measurements of traffic noise levels were taken. The results were compared with surveys elsewhere. It was concluded that household status had little effect on annoyance perception, that at L₁₀ levels greater than 70 dB(A) at a dwelling facade the noise level is unacceptable. L₁₀ levels less than 65 dB(A) at the building facade are not perceived as annoying in the environment considered.     

A decomposition-based iterative optimization algorithm for traveling salesman problem with drone

This study investigates a new delivery problem that has emerged after the attempts of several e-commerce and logistics firms to deploy drones in their operations to increase efficiency and reduce delivery times. In this problem, a delivery truck that carries a drone on its roof serves customers in coordination with a drone. The drone is considered to complement the truck due to its cost-efficiency and ability to access difficult terrains and to travel without exposure to congestion. This study presents an iterative algorithm that is based on a decomposition approach to minimize delivery completion time. In the first stage of the proposed methodology, the truck route and the customers assigned to the drone are determined. In the second stage, a mixed-integer linear programming model is solved to optimize the drone route by fixing the routing and the assignment decisions that are made in the first stage. Beginning with the shortest truck route, the assignment and the routing decisions are iteratively improved. The solution times of our algorithm are compared with the solution times of the state-of-the-art formulations that are solved by CPLEX. The results demonstrate that our algorithm yields shorter solution times for the instances that we generated with the specified parameters. An optimization-based heuristic algorithm, which obtains solutions for medium-sized instances, is developed by reducing the feasible search area.     

Exposure to noise inside transit buses in Kuwait: Measurements and passenger attitudes

Noise levels were measured, for the first time, inside 115 randomly selected transit buses, operating on 12 sample representative routes in Metropolitan Kuwait. Simultaneously with the monitoring of noise levels, the attitudes of 679 riders concerning the annoyance and long-term health impacts of noise were also surveyed. The noise and passenger attitude data were collected over 10 months (March - December 2000). The percentile distribution, equivalent noise level, traffic noise index and noise pollution levels inside four types of transit buses are presented. Riders' perceived annoyance and awareness of the long-term health impacts of noise were also determined and are discussed. The level of service and performance deficiencies of the public transit system in Kuwait, as perceived by its passengers, are also identified. A number of recommendations end the paper.     

城市桥梁声屏障设计及交通噪声控制研究

城市桥梁交通噪声污染随着城市道路的发展和车辆增多日益严重,引起了人们的普遍关注。文章以北大桥声屏障设计为研究对象,结合北大桥交通噪声污染调查分析,阐述了声屏障高度、声屏障结构形式等声屏障设计治理方案,并从规划阶段、运营阶段等方面探讨了城市桥梁交通噪声的控制对策。     

Comparison of energy demands of drone-based and ground-based parcel delivery services

Drones are one of the most intensively studied technologies in logistics in recent years. They combine technological features matching current trends in transport industry and society like autonomy, flexibility, and agility. Among the various concepts for using drones in logistics, parcel delivery is one of the most popular application scenarios. Companies like Amazon test drones particularly for last-mile delivery intending to achieve both reducing total cost and increasing customer satisfaction by fast deliveries. As drones are electric vehicles, they are also often claimed to be an eco-friendly mean of transportation.In this paper an energy consumption model for drones is proposed to describe the energy demand for drone deliveries depending on environmental conditions and the flight pattern. The model is used to simulate the energy demand of a stationary parcel delivery system which serves a set customers from a depot. The energy consumed by drones is compared to the energy demand of Diesel trucks and electric trucks serving the same customers from the same depot.The results indicate that switching to a solely drone-based parcel delivery system is not worthwhile from an energetic perspective in most scenarios. A stationary drone-based parcel delivery system requires more energy than a truck-based parcel delivery system particularly in urban areas where customer density is high and truck tours are comparatively short. In rather rural settings with long distances between customers, a drone-based parcel delivery system creates an energy demand comparable to a parcel delivery system with electric trucks provided environmental conditions are moderate.     

Railroad noise: economic valuation and policy

In developed countries noise annoyance is an important source of environmental concern. Research on noise annoyance caused by railroad traffic is relatively underdeveloped. Here, a causal chain model is presented in which railroad traffic density, noise emission, noise immission and noise annoyance are causally related. Noise level, habituation and railroad usage are determinant factors. Noise annoyance causes social and economic costs, such as property value depreciation. Policy measures, aimed at reducing social and economic costs, are incorporated in various stages of the causal model. These measures can be subdivided into noise regulation and direct prevention measures. Stricter threshold values lead to higher total costs, but may lower social costs per capita. Economic feasibility of policy measures is usually analyzed by means of a cost-benefit case study. Methods of analysis used are diverse and ad hoc. Therefore, results of different case studies are not easily compared in terms of research synthesis.     

On the electrification of road transportation – A review of the environmental,economic, and social performance of electric two-wheelers

Electrification is widely considered as a viable strategy for reducing the oil dependency and environmental impacts of road transportation. In pursuit of this strategy, most attention has been paid to electric cars. However, substantial, yet untapped, potentials could be realized in urban areas through the large-scale introduction of electric two-wheelers. Here, we review the environmental, economic, and social performance of electric two-wheelers, demonstrating that these are generally more energy efficient and less polluting than conventionally-powered motor vehicles. Electric two-wheelers tend to decrease exposure to pollution as their environmental impacts largely result from vehicle production and electricity generation outside of urban areas. Our analysis suggests that the price of e-bikes has been decreasing at a learning rate of 8%. Despite price differentials of 5000 ± 1800 EUR₂₀₁₂ kW h⁻¹ in Europe, e-bikes are penetrating the market because they appear to offer an apparent additional use value relative to bicycles. Mid-size and large electric two-wheelers do not offer such an additional use value compared to their conventional counterparts and constitute niche products at price differentials of 700 ± 360 EUR₂₀₁₂ kW⁻¹ and 160 ± 90 EUR₂₀₁₂ kW⁻¹, respectively. The large-scale adoption of electric two-wheelers can reduce traffic noise and road congestion but may necessitate adaptations of urban infrastructure and safety regulations. A case-specific assessment as part of an integrated urban mobility planning that accounts, e.g., for the local electricity mix, infrastructure characteristics, and mode-shift behavior, should be conducted before drawing conclusions about the sustainability impacts of electric two-wheelers.     

The effect of time on acoustic durability of low noise pavements – The case studies in Poland

The tyre/road noise depends on type and speed of vehicles and on the characteristics of road pavement. Vehicle traffic load and weather conditions lead to significant changes in the characteristics of the materials used to build the wearing course. This applies especially to road pavements with the increased void contents. Clogging of the pores, changes in the characteristics of the binder and the damage to the wearing course influence changes in the acoustic properties of the road pavement over time. The article presents the results of the studies on noise level carried out in 2011 and 2014 by the Statistical Pass-By method (SPB) on porous asphalt concrete (PAC), very thin asphalt concrete (VTAC) and stone mastic asphalt (SMA). The wearing courses with the increased void contents immediately after building constitute a very advantageous solution compared with traditional road pavements (dense asphalt concrete, stone mastic asphalt). However, the unfavourable location of the road with porous wearing course, lack of systematic cleaning of porous layers or inappropriate maintenance methods in winter lead to the loss of the acoustic durability of low-noise pavements within a few years of their exploitation.     

The effects of information bias and riding frequency on noise annoyance to a new railway extension in Hong Kong

We investigate how two non-acoustic factors, information bias and riding frequency, can affect the annoyance response of an urban population to noise created by a new railway line. The study shows that information bias is asymmetrical. Respondents receiving only information on positive measures taken by the authority to reduce noise emission are more tolerant of the noise impact, but those receiving only critical views tend to be more annoyed because they feel that not all measures to reduce noise have been employed. Additionally people who use the line frequently are more tolerant to the noise impact than those who do not. Information bias seems to have a temporary masking effect over riding frequency lasting for a few weeks after railway opening. This suggest that whilst free flow of information provided by the authority can help alleviate annoyance response, encouraging the people affected to make use of the new infrastructure may be useful to reduce public resistance and noise annoyance.     

Guidance for new policy developments on railway noise and vibration

Noise and vibration are two of the main problems associated with railways in residential areas. To ensure quality of life and well-being of inhabitants living in the vicinity of railway paths, it is important to evaluate, understand, control and regulate railway noise and vibration. Much attention has been focused on the impact of noise from railway traffic but the consideration of railway-induced vibration has often been neglected. This paper aims to provide policy guidance based on results obtained from the analyses of relationships estimated from ordinal logit models between human response, railway noise exposure and railway vibration exposure. This was achieved using data from case studies comprised of face-to-face interviews (N = 931), internal vibration measurements (N = 755), and noise calculations (N = 688) collected within the study “Human Response to Vibration in Residential Environments” by the University of Salford, UK. Firstly, the implications of neglecting vibration in railway noise policies are investigated. The findings suggest that it is important to account for railway induced vibrations in future noise and transport policies, as neglecting vibrations results in an underestimation of people highly annoyed by noise. Secondly, implications of neglecting different types of railway sources are presented. It was found that the impact of noise and vibration form maintenance operations should be better understood and should be taken into account when assessing the environmental impact of railways in residential environments. Finally, factors that were found to influence railway vibration annoyance are presented and expressed as weightings. The data shows that factors specific to a particular residential area should also be taken into account in future vibration policies as the literature shows that attitudinal, socio-demographic and situational factors have a large influence on vibration annoyance responses. This work will be of interest to researchers and environmental health practitioners involved in the assessment of vibration complaints, as well as to policy makers, planners and consultants involved in the design of buildings and railways.