Evolution of building façade road traffic noise levels in Flanders

Abstract

The evolution of daytime façade noise levels by road traffic at 250 dwellings in Flanders is assessed. Three identical man-operated measurement campaigns have been conducted in the years 1996, 2001 and 2009, during fall. A practical methodology has been developed, based on short time noise measurements and context observations at these locations. The uncertainty introduced by short-term sampling has been quantified as a function of the noise level. Furthermore, a correction is proposed for measuring at a random moment during daytime. Analysis of the data showed that road traffic noise levels hardly changed globally over this period of 13 years. The distribution of changes in noise level at corresponding measurement locations is nevertheless rather wide-all improvements are equally compensated by increases in noise levels at other locations. The percentage of the dwelling façades exposed to daytime noise levels above 65 dBA has increased slightly between 1996 and 2001, but seems to stagnate in 2009. In spite of the increased interest and actions of policy makers during the past decades, noise exposure caused by road traffic at dwelling façades is a persistent problem.

Quantification of the potential impact of nature conservation on ecosystem services supply in the Flemish Region: A cascade modelling approach

“…Over 10 % is severely disturbed, with significant health impacts (Stassen, Collier et al 2008). Approximately 30 % of building facades have a noise exposure over 65dBA during daytime (Van Renterghem, Botteldooren et al 2012). Noise exposure maps from major traffic roads are available from the Flemish Agency for Roads and Traffic.…”

Focused Study on the Quiet Side Effect in Dwellings Highly Exposed to Road Traffic Noise

“…In addition, noise pollution is a major source of complaints [1], especially in densely populated areas. Repeated extensive measurement campaigns in the period 1996–2009 in Flanders (Belgium) hardly showed any improvement in the noise exposure measured as equivalent levels in front of the façade [3]. As a result, it can be concluded that road traffic noise is a persistent and major environmental problem.…”

“…This study is concerned with road traffic noise, as this is the most widespread environmental noise source in the region under study [3]. We opted for a face-to-face questionnaire (interview) since it allows gathering more detailed information as discussed further in this article.…”

A soft-sensing approach for the evaluation of the acoustic comfort due to building envelope protection against external noise

“…Single 20 min observations showed to yield stable conditions at locations where the noise level and consequently the traffic intensity were of practical interest. Spreading the time interval to, e.g., 1 h was considered unnecessary because, within that period, both the traffic conditions and the resulting noise levels were observed not to change significantly during daytime [67]. This was confirmed through long-term measurements carried out during other experimental tests in Ancona.…”

“…Hence, measurements were carried out during daytime (between 7:00 am and 07:00 pm), since road traffic noise exposure (in particular for the façades giving directly onto the road, i.e. RF 1, RF 2, and RF 3) is more significant during that time interval [67]. In particular, since outdoor noise due to traffic is time fluctuating, it was chosen to measure the equivalent sound pressure levels during the peak-hour of the day (when more traffic was observed).…”