Traffic Noise in West Germany, Evaluation of Noise Levels and Experience in Noise Control

Abstract

In 1932, Bakos and Kagan first attempted to measure traffic noise in Berlin. Later in 1938, Kösters and collaborators formed a “Map of Loudness” for Charlottenburg. At that early date they used a sound-level meter with weighting curves having frequency characteristics recommended by the German Acoustic Committee in 1937 and the logarithmic graphic level recorder of Braünmuhl. Many years later the PTB in Braunschweig and the Acoustics Laboratory in Düsseldorf began new traffic noise studies. In Düsseldorf we published a Map of Loudness for the city and tried to obtain acoustical statistics for all vehicles. The map of loudness so obtained in 1938, 1951, 1952, and 1955 showed successively an increase in the occurrence of levels over 80 db. For the purpose of evaluation, the levels at three points have been found useful in psychoacoustical work and for expert testimony. These are: (1) level of background, (2) average level (by a planimeter), and (3) median peaks per minute. These will be illustrated by an example. Many ways are possible for reducing traffic noise. One of the best is proper construction of the vehicles. Noise control now is known by town planning boards. Two projects are presented to show organized planning in Germany.

Road Traffic Noise in Nigeria: Measurements, Analysis and Evaluation of Nuisance

“…It should then be possible to predict subjective response to road tra$c noise along motorways and in residential areas. Equivalent continuous sound level (¸C O ) and other indices have been used to describe the noise generated by road tra$c [1,2]. In his survey dealing with e!ects of road tra$c noise in Greater London under free-#ow conditions, Langdon [3] found that over the range of noise levels from 60 to 80 dB (A)¸ (the level exceeded or equalled for 10% of the measurement time), nuisance was found to be highly correlated with noise level measured as¸ over 24, 18 or 12 h and as¸C O over 24 h. Social surveys and "eld measurements [4] indicate a correlation between¸ , averaged over 18 h and human dissatisfaction.…”